How did 1.88 crore children, over 17,000 schools vanish from UDISE Plus? The ministry must explain: Expert

By Arun C Mehta

After a gap of more than two years, the UDISE Plus 2022-23 and 2023-24 data was released by the department of school education and literacy, ministry of education, on December 30. The data for 2021-22 was published on November 30, 2022. The new publications are titled Report On Unified District Information System Plus: 2022-23 and 2023-24 and are available on its official portal, udiseplus.gov.in and kys.udiseplus.gov.in, for both the existing as well as for the NEP structures.

The reports for the years 2022-23 and 2023-24 briefly present analysis at the all-India level and state-specific statements for all the states and union territories. The ministry has been managing UDISE Plus from 2018-19, and the present report is the fourth and fifth in the series. Before this, UDISE was conceptualised, managed, and nurtured between 1994-95 and 2017-18 by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Delhi. It is hoped that with this publication, the ministry will consider bringing out the rest of the publications brought out in the past by NIEPA from 2005-06 to 2017-18.

The UDISE Plus, as per the NEP structure, presents various indicators as per the restructured school sector recommended by National Education Policy, i.e., Preparatory, Foundational, Upper Primary, and Secondary phases.

It is a welcome step and will be helpful while formulating annual plans under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. Another UDISEPlus Report for 2022-23 and 2023-24 presents data based on the existing structure and is similar to those brought out from 2018-19 to 2020-21.

How are the new UDISE Plus reports different?

One of the significant departures from the past UDISE data is the change in the date of reference, which historically used to be September 30, but for the first time, the data for the years 2022-23 and 2023-24 both are reported with March 31, 2024 as cut-off date. How can the cut-off date of both reports be the same?

The UDISEPlus reports for 2022-23 and 2023-24 indicate that individual student-wise data has been attempted for the first time at the national level, marking a shift from the school-wise consolidated data used until 2021-22. As a result, the data in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 reports is not directly comparable with previous reports on various educational indicators, although the data within these reports themselves remains comparable.

However, upon analysing the 2022-23 UDISEPlus report, it becomes evident that dropout, transition, and retention rates have been calculated using grade-wise enrolment data from 2021-22. While the 2022-23 report emphasises that its data is not comparable with that of 2021-22, it still relies on the 2021-22 data to calculate several efficiency metrics, including dropout rates, at various educational levels.

At one point, the time lag in educational statistics at the national level was typically one year, but this delay has been increasing; this may be attributed to the detailed student data collection introduced as part of UDISE Plus in 2022-23. It is hoped that the time lag will be significantly reduced, as only Grade I enrollment data will need to be collected anew. The document states that student data collection is being done for the first time at the national level, which is factually incorrect. NIEPA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, began collecting student data in alignment with UDISE for the first time during the 2016-17 data collection. Individual student records, covering more than 220 million students, were recorded during this period, primarily using Aadhaar numbers.

The reports mention that the ministry assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the data and indicators reported in the document, as the report is based on voluntary uploading of data by the schools having active UDISE+ codes. This somewhat discourages users from using data that is otherwise very rich in nature and the only source of information so far as school education in India is concerned.

Instead of making UDISE+ data for 2022–23 to 2024–25 available in one go, the department should have disseminated the data in a phased manner, as was done in the past. This shift in data dissemination practices has hindered the ability of users to conduct in-depth analyses and assess the current state of school education in India. A more transparent and systematic approach is needed to ensure accountability and facilitate evidence-based planning.

The UDISE Plus portal should also present enrollment and efficiency indices at the disaggregated levels, such as block and district, so that they are used in annual work plans.

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UDISE Plus: Data gaps

Here are some quick observations.

None of the UDISE+ 2022-23 and 2023-24 tables have time-series information; without this, one has to refer to individual year data to be downloaded from the portal or used from the PDFs. At least Table 1, presenting national highlights of UDISE+ 2023-24 data, must also contain 2021-22 and 2022-23 data, allowing users to compare and view the progress made over time instantly.

No state-specific analysis of its implications for India's efforts towards universal school enrolment has been viewed or commented on; this is important because of the NEP 2020 resolution to attain universal school enrolment by 2030. The report failed to flag issues that need immediate attention from planners. However, a few geographical maps depicting educational facilities and other indicators found a place in the reports.

UDISEPlus 2022-23 and 2023-24 reports have added a few new variables, such as the average number of teachers per school (national level, seven teachers), average enrolment in a school (169 students), schools without enrolment (12,954, 0.88 percent)), teachers in schools having zero enrolment (31,981 teachers), single-teacher schools (1,10,971 schools, 7.54 percent), enrolment in single-teacher schools (39,94,097 students, 1.70 percent of total 235 million students), percentage of schools in enrolment slabs, etc. This is a welcome step and gives food for thought to planners which, if analysed at the disaggregated levels, would reveal many interesting facts having a significant impact on universal school education.

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The percentage of schools in enrolment slabs presented in the UDISEPlus Report indicates that of the 14,71,891 schools in 2023-24, about 56.7 percent (8,34,562 schools) have less than 100 students, and 6.6 percent have even 500 or more students. Further, the data reveals that 4.6 percent (67,707 schools) of the total schools have less than 10 students compared to 7.2 percent of schools (1,05,976 schools) between 11 to 20 students, 8.8 percent of schools (1,29,526 schools) having enrolment between 21 to 30 students, which reveals that every fifth school in India has enrolment up to 30 students (20.6 percent); thus indicating a need for separate planning methodology for small schools which are in large numbers.

The UDISE+ 2024-25 Report must present the entry/intake rate as comprehensive information about enrolment in Class 1; the corresponding single age-six child projected population is now available. Meaningful planning cannot be expected without analysing the entry rate (boys and girls, and SC and ST); bringing all children of age six under the education umbrella is necessary to move towards universal school education, as envisaged in the NEP 2020.

UDISEPlus 2022-23 & 2023-24: School count drops 5%

The total number of schools declined by 17,224 schools (1.16 percent) during 2021-22 and 2023-24 & 87,012 schools (5.58 percent) between 2017-18 to 2023-24. Like UDISEPlus 2021-22, the latest reports contain no analysis of this decline in the number of schools covered under UDISEPlus over time.

As many as 14,89,115 schools were covered under UDISEPlus 2021-22; that number dropped by 17,224 schools (1.16 percent) during the latest year 2023-24.

In the year before UDISE shifted to the ministry of education, in 2017-18, as many as 15,58,903 schools were covered under UDISEPlus. Since then, the number of schools covered has declined to the tune of 87,012 schools, or 5.58% of the total count in 2017-18. No explanation is presented in the report on reasons behind the decline in coverage of schools under UDISEPlus. Is the decline due to schools closing down or merging schools, with no information in the public domain?

Not only has the total number of schools declined, by 2023-24, the number of government schools has dropped by a whopping 76,883 schools - 7.02% - from the number in 2017-18. However, the report is silent about the decline in government schools, which is alarming in a few states.

The department of school education and literacy must furnish reasons for the decline in schools, the criteria used, and whether the norms of distance in the Right to Education Act 2009 were followed.

Further, recognised private unaided schools have gradually increased to 3,31,108 in 2023- 24 but are also not free from sharp fluctuations. The UDISEPlus reports do not present the number of schools over time; hence, no explanation is furnished for the decline in the number of schools. The latest UDISEPlus report states that it is based on voluntary uploading of data by the schools and the responsibility for the accuracy of the data rests with authorities at different levels, other than the authorities at the national level.

UDISE Plus: Disproportionate distribution of teachers

The distribution of schools, enrollment, and teachers across different educational levels in India for 2022-2023 highlights some critical areas that need attention regarding resource allocation.

A significant observation is the imbalance between the distribution of teachers and student enrollment across levels. Here are some key revelations:

• Primary: Although primary education has the highest share of enrolled students (48.7%) and schools (50.0%), it has only 24.0% of the teaching workforce. This suggests a potential gap in teacher availability at the foundational stage, which could affect the quality of education in primary schools.
• Upper primary and higher secondary: The upper-primary level has a relatively high share of teachers (28.6%), possibly because this is a critical phase of education where children transition from basic learning to more complex subjects. Similarly, the higher-secondary level, with 31.1% of teachers, reflects the need for specialised instruction, which likely requires more teachers to cater to different subjects.
• Secondary: Although the number of schools (9.8%) and enrollment (14.9%) at the secondary level is significant, the teaching share (16.2%) is relatively moderate; this could indicate that the focus on teacher allocation at secondary levels may not be as intensive as at the upper primary or higher secondary levels despite the considerable number of students in this phase.

The analysis suggests that there may be a need for more balanced resource distribution across all levels to improve educational outcomes and ensure equity in access to quality education across the country. Disaggregated analysis by states will reveal more about resource distribution.

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SDMS UDISE Plus: Enrolment falls, over-reporting

School enrollment in India has never been free from limitations, which is valid for UDISE Plus data, especially between 2018-19 and the latest years, 2021-22 to 2023-24. A steep decline mars the enrollment data, which makes it challenging to ascertain the trends in enrollment.

The most striking feature is the decline in total enrollment from 255.7 million in 2021-22 to 241.6 million in 2022-23, representing a decrease of 14.1 million students (5.5%). The decline continued into 2023-24, reaching 235 million in Classes 1 to 12. During 2021-22 to 2023-24, total enrolment in Classes 1 t o12 declined by 20.8 million (8.13 percent) and that of 6.7 million (2.77 percent) during 2022-23 to 2023-24.

The significant enrollment decline in 2022-23 appears to be primarily attributed to improved data collection methodologies after the introduction of the UDISE student module, SDMS (School Database Management System).

Implementing multiple parameters for student verification has likely eliminated duplicate enrollments, ghost students, inflated enrollment figures, and outdated or incorrect records. The new data collection system suggests that previous enrollment figures may have been overestimated by approximately 5-6%, which indicates a more realistic picture of actual school enrollment.

Therefore, a fundamental question arises: Why has there been a decline of 6.7 million in enrollment (primary to higher secondary) within just one year, which happened even after the implementation of SDMS in its second year, i.e., UDISE Plus 2023-24? Is this decline due to:

• fake or duplicate enrollments being purged?
• students who were previously only registered in school records but were not physically attending school?
• enrollment now being more realistic than it was in the past years?
• the smaller number of schools covered under UDISEPlus?

This unexplained decline makes it exceedingly difficult to assess the current state of school education in India. The inconsistency in the time-series makes enrollment data appear unrealistic and raises critical concerns for data users and planners. The UDISEPlus portal is silent on the steep decline in enrollment, nor is there an explanation for the declining number of schools covered under UDISEPlus or whether the decline is due to merging or closing down of schools.

Another pressing question is: What has happened to the 20.8 million students (between 2020- 21 and 2023-24) who are no longer reflected in the UDISEPlus data? Were they previously included as part of inflated figures for funding or incentive purposes, such as scholarships, free meals, textbooks, or cash benefits? If so, how much funding was allocated for these students, and was it effectively utilised?

It is imperative to investigate whether these children were receiving incentives in the past and, if so, how such a significant number has vanished from the enrolment records.

The number of students in a state is one of the main criteria for funding under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

Detailed data, including student-specific information (except sensitive information), should be made available in the public domain to understand the reasons for the decline and its implications for the education system. Perhaps, the ministry could seek an explanation from the State Project Directors, accountable for the correctness of UDISEPlus data.

Enrolment data shows significant changes across management types and educational levels.

The most significant absolute decline, of 14 million or 11.49%, from 2021-22-2023-24 is in the primary level, Classes 1 to 5. This accounts for approximately 67% of the total enrollment decline in enrolment during the same period. Government schools are likely most affected due to their higher share in primary education. Enrolment at the upper primary level, Classes 6-8, has dropped by 3.7 million students (- 5.49%). Enrolment at the secondary level declined by 1.7 million students (-4.32%) and at the higher secondary, by 1.4 million students (-5.05%).

One impact of the UDISE Plus student module, SDMS, could be the uncovering of previous over-reporting.

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The primary level shows the highest correction and suggests that previous over-reporting is most prevalent in early grades. Improvement in data quality is more significant in government schools and while the decline presents immediate challenges for universal education goals, the improved data accuracy provides a more reliable foundation for future planning and interventions.

UDISE: Dropout rates rise; transition falls

The efficiency indicators present all necessary factors required to assess the retaining capacity of the school education system. Indicators through which one can judge the efficiency of the education system are presented at the all-India and state levels, but district and block-level data is missing from the portal. An increase in dropout rates across educational levels may adversely affect efforts toward universal school education.

The dropout rate at the primary levels shows a sharp increase from 0.8% in 2020-21 to 7.8% in 2022-23 but moderated to 1.9% in 2023-24. More boys (2.1%) dropped out at this level of education than girls (1.7%).

The dropout rate at the upper primary level significantly rose from 1.9% in 2020-21 to 8.1% in 2022-23 but stabilised at 5.2% in 2023-24. However, minimal gender difference is observed between 2022 and 23.

The dropout rate at the Secondary level increased from 12.6% in 2021-22 to 16.4% in 2022-23 but improved to 14.1% in 2023-24. Data shows a notable gender advantage for girls (12.6%) compared to their male counterparts (15.5%).

For the combined elementary level, Classes 1 to 8, the number of students who dropped out in 2022-2023 was 1,50,47,323, compared to 54,36,853 in 2023-2024; this reflects a 64% reduction in the number of students leaving school across the elementary level. The decline is a positive sign, indicating better retention efforts at the early stages of education, although the absolute numbers still point to significant attrition that requires attention.

However, the figures also reveal that retention challenges remain, particularly at the secondary level. To further improve retention, policies, and programmes focusing on financial support, better infrastructure, and enhanced academic support are necessary to ensure that students can continue their education through to completion.

Transition rates play an important role in achieving the goal of universal school education. But the UDISE data shows fewer students transitioned from primary to upper primary in 2023-24. The transition rate declared from 93.2% in 2021-22 to 88.8% in 2023-24.

More girls transitioned from primary to upper primary level (89.2%) than boys (88.4%). A downward trend in the transition rate is an area of concern.

The transition rate from elementary to secondary level (Classes 9 and 10) too significantly dropped from 88.8% in 2021-22 to 83.3% in 2023-24, with a gender gap emerging (Boys: 83.7%, Girls: 82.9%).

Further, the transition rate from secondary to higher secondary (Classes 11 and 12) level declined from 78.4% in 2021-22 to 71.5% in 2023-24, with girls outperforming boys (73.9% vs 69.1%). The declining transition rate across educational levels is an area of concern and will adversely affect the goal of universal school education by 2030, envisaged in NEP 2020.

Like the transition rate, the retention rate at the primary level too declined rather sharply, from 95.4% in 2021-22 to 85.4% in 2023-24, with a minimal gender difference. Low and declining retention rate is a significant concern for universal education goals.

The present efficiency rate status suggests a need for immediate and comprehensive intervention to address challenges while building on positive gender-related achievements. The connection between enrollment patterns and efficiency indicators highlights the importance of a systemic approach to educational improvement. It provides a foundation for targeted interventions and policy adjustments needed to achieve universal education goals while maintaining a focus on quality and equity in education delivery.

In addition to high dropout rates, many students repeated various school education grades in 2023-24, all with high dropout rates adversely affecting the efficiency of the education system. As many as 2.36 million and 1.08 million students repeated primary and upper primary grades during 2023-24, respectively, thus indicating a hoping 3.44 million students repeated elementary grades consisting of Classes 1 to 8.

Arun C Mehta is a former professor and head of the EMIS Department, NIEPA, New Delhi. This is a shorter, edited version of an analysis published on Mehta's website, Education For All in India.