Wed Jan 08 03:00:00 UTC 2025: ## India Sees Sharp Drop in School Enrollment: Millions of Students Missing from Records
**NEW DELHI, January 8, 2025** – India’s school enrollment has plummeted by over 10 million students between 2018-19 and 2023-24, according to newly released data from the Ministry of Education (MoE). The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) reports show a total enrollment of 24.8 crore (248 million) students in grades 1-12 for 2023-24, a significant 6% decrease from previous years.
The MoE attributes the discrepancy partially to a change in data collection methodology, which now includes individual student Aadhaar numbers. However, education expert Arun Mehta, former HOD of the Department of Educational Management Information System at NIEPA, challenges this explanation. He points to a similar data collection attempt in 2016-17 that was abandoned, suggesting the current decline reflects more than just methodological changes.
Mehta suggests the drop is likely due to the elimination of duplicate enrollments and the correction of inflated figures from previous years. He raises concerns about the fate of the missing students, questioning whether they received previously allocated funding for programs like scholarships and free meals. The Samagra Shiksha scheme, which allocates funds for education, saw an increase in budget from ₹32,515 crore in 2022-23 to ₹37,010 crore in 2024-25, despite the enrollment decline.
Furthermore, the number of schools covered under UDISE+ has also dropped significantly, from 15,58,903 in 2017-18 to 14,71,891 in 2023-24, with a disproportionate decrease in government-run schools. The most affected states are Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Mehta highlights the potential for increased dropout rates as students struggle to re-enroll in new schools after closures and mergers.
While the MoE cautions against direct comparisons with previous years’ data, Mehta argues that certain key indicators remain comparable. He criticizes the UDISE+ report for failing to adequately address the sharp decline in enrollment and the significant reduction in the number of schools, particularly government schools. He calls for a transparent investigation into the reasons behind the school closures and a verification of whether Right to Education norms were followed during the process. The missing millions and the closure of thousands of schools remain a pressing concern demanding further investigation and clarification from the MoE.
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