New Delhi: For the first time, India has crossed the milestones of more than one crore school teachers in the same educational year. It took place in 2024–25, even the number of children enrolled in schools to the lowest in seven years.According to the Education Plus (UDISE+) for the integrated district information system of the Ministry of Education, the total enrollment in schools was 24.68 crores in 2024-25, which is about 11 lakh less than the previous year. Officials said the decline in enrollment is mainly due to a decline in birth rate, although some states have shown a different trend. He said that the enrollment calculation is based on the 2011 census population, which increases everyone in gross enrollment ratio estimates, and the upcoming census in 2026 will provide a clear picture.Even though fewer children are coming to schools, the number of teachers is continuously increasing, the student-teacher is improving the balance. Udise+ data suggests that on Foundational stage, pupil-lecture ratio (PTR) is now 10, preparation in phase 13, in mid-stage 17, and in secondary phase 21. These ratio is much better than the 1:30 benchmarks suggested in the National Education Policy 2020. Help.The overall nomination has been shrinking over the years. In 2022-23, 25.18 crore students were nominated, which increased to 24.8 crores in 2023-24 and 24.68 crores in 2024-25. But with this decline, there has been a sharp decline in dropout rates. In the preparation stage, the dropouts have come below 3.7%. At mid level, from 5.2% to 3.5%; And at the secondary level, from 10.9% to 8.2%. Officials said that it shows that children are living in schools for a long time and school are becoming more responsible for the needs of students.The level of retention has also increased. In the founding phase, the retention improved from 98.0% to 98.9%; From 85.4% to 92.4% at the initial level; From 78% to 82.8% at mid level; And from 45.6% to 47.2% at secondary level. The report stated that a major reason for improvement at secondary level is an increase in the number of schools offering secondary education, which has made access to access and encouraged students to continue.UDISE+ also recorded significant decline in single-teacher and zero-nrollment schools. Officials said this is possible due to targeted government interventions aimed at rationalizing schools and teachers. The number of single-teacher schools fell nearly 6% compared to the previous year, while schools with zero enrollment declined by about 38%. The report states that this deficiency is a sign of a better plan and will help create a more balanced education system.
