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Indian school enrollment declined by 37 lakh in 2023-24.

India Faces Digital Divide as School Enrolment Drops by 37 Lakh in 2023-24

Delhi schools lead in digitalization

India Faces Digital Divide as School Enrolment Drops Delhi’s schools have shown significant progress in digitalisation, with the percentage of schools equipped with digital facilities far surpassing the national average, according to data from the Ministry of Education. As per the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) annual data, 99.1% of schools in Delhi have functional desktops, compared to just 32.4% nationwide. Assam had the lowest proportion of schools with functional desktops at 12.8%, followed by Bihar (13.3%) and Jharkhand (17%).

Other reports highlight challenges in school dropout rates in states like Bihar and Assam and address a notable infrastructure gap in Indian schools. Delhi has also increased its classroom availability by 83% over the last decade, as stated by Atishi.

India Faces Digital Divide as School Enrolment Drops The latest data from the Union Ministry of Education’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus shows a significant decline in dropout rates across all school levels in Uttar Pradesh (UP) from 2022-23 to 2023-24. At the middle school level (class 6-8), the dropout rate dropped from 16% to 3.9%, while at the secondary level (class 9-12), it decreased from 12.7% to 5.9%. The national average dropout rates remain higher, at 5.2% and 10.9% for middle and secondary schools, respectively. The dropout rate at the preparatory level (class 3-5) also decreased from 20.2% to 5.4%.

Gender-wise, girls have a higher dropout rate at the middle school level, whereas boys tend to drop out more at the secondary level. In 2023-24, the dropout rate for both boys and girls at the preparatory level was 5.4%. At the middle school level, girls had a dropout rate of 4.8%, compared to 3.1% for boys. At the secondary level, 6.9% of boys dropped out, compared to 4.8% of girls.

The data also shows variations in the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) across educational levels. The GER at the preparatory level increased slightly to 86.7%, while at the foundational level, it dropped to 31.9%. The GER at middle and secondary levels increased slightly to 78.8% but declined slightly to 58.5% at the secondary level. Retention rates also saw a drop at the preparatory level, down from 81.3% in 2022-23 to 79.6% in 2023-24, and the secondary level retention rate increased from 34.9% to 37%. At the middle school level, retention rose from 58% to 69.3%.

However, the report also highlights the ongoing digital divide in UP’s education system. While over 90% of schools have basic amenities such as gender-specific toilets, electricity, and hand-washing units, only 40% of schools have computer facilities, and 38.6% have internet access. The number of schools with digital libraries is minimal, at just 1.8%, and only 14.5% of schools have functional smart classrooms with digital boards and smart TVs. Additionally, fewer than one-fourth of schools (19.5%) use mobile phones for teaching.

India Faces Digital Divide as School Enrolment Drops The latest UDISE Plus data from the Union Education Ministry reveals significant challenges in India’s school digital infrastructure. Only 57.2% of schools have functional computers, and just 53.9% have Internet access. While over 90% of schools are equipped with basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, more advanced facilities such as ramps with handrails (available in 52.3% of schools) remain scarce.

The report also highlights a drop in student enrolment, with 37 lakh fewer students enrolled in 2023-24, reducing the total to 24.8 crore. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) shows considerable variation across education levels: 96.5% at the preparatory level, 41.5% at the foundational level, 89.5% at the middle level, and 66.5% at the secondary level. Furthermore, dropout rates have worsened, rising from 5.2% in middle school to 10.9% at the secondary level.

Despite efforts under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to address these issues, infrastructure gaps remain a major barrier to achieving universal education. Officials stress the importance of optimising resources and prioritising technology and accessibility to improve education quality and meet ambitious 2030 goals.

India Faces Digital Divide as School Enrolment Drops According to the latest UDISE data, school enrolment in India dropped by 37 lakh in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, decreasing from 25.17 crore in 2022-23 to 24.80 crore in 2023-24. The number of girl students fell by 16 lakh, while the number of boy students dropped by 21 lakh. The representation of minorities in total enrolment was about 20%, with Muslims making up 79.6%, followed by Christians at 10%, Sikhs at 6.9%, Buddhists at 2.2%, Jains at 1.3%, and Parsis at 0.1%.

The UDISE+ data also reveals the demographic breakdown of students: 26.9% were from the general category, 18% from Scheduled Castes, 9.9% from Scheduled Tribes, and 45.2% from the Other Backward Classes. The data collection for 2023-24 included a voluntary exercise to link students’ Aadhaar numbers, with over 19.7 crore students providing their numbers. This effort aims to track “ghost students” and ensure more efficient resource allocation by identifying students who truly need government benefits.

The data also marks a shift from previous reports, as this is the first attempt to maintain individual student-wise data at the national level, replacing the school-wise consolidated data used until 2021-22. This change enables more accurate tracking of student progress and dropout rates, which can now be identified and addressed more effectively.

The report further notes disparities in school infrastructure across states. In states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam, the number of schools exceeds the student enrolment, indicating underutilisation of available schools. Conversely, in states such as Telangana, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu, the number of schools is lower than the student enrolment, showing more efficient use of resources.