India's School Enrolment Drops by 3.7 Million in 2023-24, UDISE Report Reveals

Despite infrastructure improvements, challenges such as digital divide, teacher shortages, and inequities persist in the education system.

The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) report shows a 1.47% decline in school enrolment, with student numbers falling from 251.7 million in 2022-23 to 248 million in 2023-24.
Enrolment dropped across all gender, social, and educational categories, with boys and girls experiencing declines of 2.1 million and 1.6 million, respectively.
Only 57% of schools have functional computers, and 53% have internet access, highlighting significant gaps in technological readiness.
Dropout rates improved across all levels, but disparities in Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) remain, particularly at the foundational and secondary education stages.
The report underscores the need for targeted reforms to address issues such as teacher absenteeism, delayed scholarships, and the digital divide to meet the National Education Policy 2020 goals by 2030.