School Enrolment Drops By 2.26 Crore, SCST Students Face Sharpest Decline: NITI Aayog
India’s school education system has witnessed a significant decline in student enrolment over the past decade, with the total number of students falling by 2.26 crore, according to the NITI Aayog Policy Report 2026.
The report also flags widening disparities in educational continuity among Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, who continue to face steep enrolment losses as they progress to higher grades.
The report, based on UDISE+ 2024-25 data, states that total school enrolment declined from 26.95 crore in 2014-15 to 24.69 crore in 2024-25.
While a declining fertility rate and a shrinking school-age population contributed to the overall fall, the report notes that structural and socio-economic challenges continue to push vulnerable students out of the education system.
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Government schools have seen the sharpest decline in their share of enrolment. Their share dropped from 71% in 2005 to 49.24% in 2024-25, reflecting the growing shift towards private education across the country.
One of the report’s key concerns is the educational trajectory of children from SC and ST communities. Although access to primary education has improved over the years, enrolment declines significantly as students transition to upper primary and secondary levels.
The report attributes this to a combination of economic hardship, migration, inadequate educational infrastructure, and persistent learning gaps.
School rationalisation has also emerged as a major factor. Nearly 94,000 government schools have either been closed or merged over the past decade as part of consolidation efforts.
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According to the report, these closures have disproportionately affected rural and tribal communities, where students rely heavily on neighbourhood public schools. Longer travel distances, particularly for girls, have increased the risk of absenteeism and dropout.
Financial barriers continue to hinder educational continuity for disadvantaged families. Even where tuition is free, costs related to transportation, uniforms, books and examination fees remain significant obstacles for many low-income households.
The report further highlights shortages of teachers in remote and tribal regions, including the continued existence of over one lakh single-teacher schools across the country. Multi-grade teaching and inadequate staffing, it says, negatively affect classroom learning and student retention.
Learning outcomes remain another critical challenge. The report notes that students from SC and ST communities continue to record lower proficiency levels in foundational subjects such as mathematics compared to the general category.
These learning deficits often widen over time, making the transition to higher classes increasingly difficult and contributing to higher dropout rates.
Despite the decline in enrolment, the report notes that demographic changes, including lower birth rates, have also played a role in reducing the overall school-age population.
However, it stresses that ensuring children remain in school and complete their education will require targeted interventions, improved infrastructure, stronger teacher deployment, financial support for vulnerable families, and measures to address learning gaps.
