A classroom in a school in Uttar Pradesh

A classroom in a school in Rural India

Declining School Enrolment in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

Insights from UDISEPlus 2021-22 to 2024-25 Data


Introduction

The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISEPlus) provides critical insights into India’s school enrolment landscape, revealing stark regional disparities. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP), two of India’s most populous states, together account for nearly 31% of the national school-age (6 to 17 years) population and have recorded some of the steepest enrolment declines from 2021-22 to 2024-25. Bihar’s total enrolment (pre-primary to higher secondary) fell by 23.08%, from 27.47 million to 21.13 million, while UP saw a 9.31% drop, from 47.18 million to 42.79 million. These trends, driven by sharp contractions in elementary stages, threaten the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s goal of universal secondary education by 2030 and exacerbate gender and regional inequities.

Enrolment Stability in Advanced States: Insights from UDISEPlus 2021-22 to 2024-25 Data

However, these recent declines are not isolated; they echo historical patterns of sudden downward trends in these states. For instance, Bihar alone witnessed around 1.5 million enrolment drop in 2015-16, largely attributed to improved data accuracy (based on attendance survey) and de-duplication efforts. Similarly, the launch of UDISE under the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) introduced student-level data collection in 2016-17, which led to significant reported declines by eliminating inflated figures from school-level reporting. As detailed in analyses on Education for All in India, such methodological shifts – while enhancing reliability – often mask underlying retention challenges, underscoring the need for contextual interpretation of UDISEPlus trends.

This article analyzes enrolment data exclusively from UDISEPlus 2024-25 (compiled by Prof. Arun C. Mehta), focusing on Bihar and UP alongside other major declining states – Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Rajasthan – for comparative context. We present totals across key educational levels, highlight percentage shares relative to All India figures, and examine implications for national goals. The data underscores a “leakage” from foundational to higher stages, with boys often bearing the brunt, necessitating targeted retention strategies.

For more on UDISEPlus data and trends, visit the official portal: UDISEPlus Reports.

Enrolment Trends at Key Levels: A Comparative Table

The table below displays total enrolment (boys + girls) for Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan across major levels: Pre-Primary (PP), Primary (1-5), Upper Primary (6-8), Elementary (1-8), Secondary (9-10), Higher Secondary (11-12), Primary to Higher Secondary (1-12), and Total (PP to HS). Figures are in absolute numbers (in millions), sourced directly from UDISEPlus.

UDISE+ Enrolment in Selected States by Stage: 2024-25

 Level /State Bihar 2021-22 (millions) Bihar 2024-25 (millions) % Change Bihar UP 2021-22 (millions) UP 2024-25 (millions) % Change UP
Pre-Primary (PP) 0.43 0.36 -16.57% 0.41 1.39 241.11%
Primary (1-5) 14.18 10.27 -27.55% 24.18 19.38 -19.86%
Upper Primary (6-8) 7.25 5.69 -21.49% 11.59 11.28 -2.71%
Elementary (1-8) 21.43 15.97 -25.50% 35.77 30.66 -14.30%
Secondary (9-10) 3.62 2.77 -23.45% 6.22 5.71 -8.28%
Higher Secondary (11-12) 2 2.04 2.32% 4.78 4.52 -5.38%
Primary to HS (1-12) 27.05 20.78 -23.18% 46.77 41.4 -11.49%
Total (PP to HS) 27.47 21.13 -23.07% 47.18 42.79 -9.31%

Source: UDISEPlus 2021-22 and 2024-25, compiled by Prof. Arun C. Mehta (Download Full Dataset). 

Key Observations from the Data


Bihar’s Enrolment Collapse

Bihar’s declines are the most severe among the group, with elementary enrolment (1-8) plummeting 25.50% – the highest recorded nationally – losing over 5.47 million students. Primary levels bore the brunt (-27.55%), signaling acute foundational access issues, potentially linked to post-pandemic disruptions and economic pressures. Upper primary followed at -21.49%, creating a bottleneck for secondary progression. Secondary enrolment dropped 23.45%, but higher secondary bucked the trend with a +2.32% gain, largely driven by girls’ enrolment (from data patterns, girls increased +8.63% vs. boys -3.68%). Overall, 1-12 enrolment fell 23.18%, underscoring a systemic “leakage” where early gains evaporate, hindering NEP 2020’s seamless curricular flow.

samagra state report card bihar 2020-21 aruncmehta1

Uttar Pradesh’s Steady Erosion

UP’s patterns mirror Bihar’s but at a moderated pace, with elementary declining 14.30% (losing ~5.12 million students) and primary at -19.86%. Unlike Bihar, upper primary held relatively steady (-2.71%), suggesting better retention at transitional stages, possibly due to state-specific interventions. Secondary and higher secondary saw -8.28% and -5.38% drops, respectively, with 1-12 enrolment contracting 11.49%. Notably, pre-primary surged +241.11%, reflecting NEP-aligned expansions, but this failed to stem downstream losses. Gender data indicates boys’ primary enrolment fell -19.04% vs. girls’ -20.75%, hinting at differential vulnerabilities – girls facing retention barriers, boys economic pulls.

All India Context and Percentage Shares of Bihar and UP

The UDISEPlus data reveals a stark national contraction in school enrolments between 2021-22 and 2024-25, with total enrolments from pre-primary to higher secondary falling by 6.9 percent – from 265.24 million to 246.93 million – while the elementary cycle alone shrank by 10.9 percent (188.63 million to 168.08 million). Against this backdrop, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which together accounted for 28.15 percent of India’s total enrolments in 2021-22, have seen their combined share erode to 25.89 percent by 2024-25, driven chiefly by Bihar’s precipitous decline from 10.36 percent to 8.56 percent of the national total. Bihar’s secondary enrolment share, in particular, has plummeted from 9.39 percent to 7.45 percent, a loss of nearly one-fifth of its relative weight in just three years, even as absolute secondary enrolments nationwide dipped only 3.54 percent (38.53 million to 37.17 million). Uttar Pradesh, by contrast, has held its ground at the secondary and higher secondary levels, with shares of 15.36 percent and 16.36 percent respectively in 2024-25, yet its primary and upper-primary shares have also softened marginally. This divergence underscores a critical fault line: while India’s overall secondary cohort is shrinking modestly, Bihar’s rapid disengagement from secondary education is accelerating the national decline in the very age group that must expand if the country is to achieve universal secondary enrolment by 2030.

Share of Enrolment by Levels in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh: UDISEPlus 20221-22 & 2024-25

Level Bihar % (2021-22) Bihar % (2024-25) UP % (2021-22) UP % (2024-25)
Pre-Primary (PP) 4.49% 2.53% 4.29% 9.88%
Primary (1-5) 11.64% 9.84% 19.85% 18.57%
Upper Primary (6-8) 10.86% 8.94% 17.35% 17.70%
Elementary (1-8) 11.36% 9.50% 18.96% 18.24%
Secondary (9-10) 9.39% 7.45% 16.15% 15.36%
Higher Secondary (11-12) 6.98% 7.38% 16.72% 16.36%
Primary to HS (1-12) 10.58% 8.92% 18.29% 17.78%
Total (PP to HS) 10.36% 8.56% 17.79% 17.33%

Source: Derived from UDISEPlus data above. Full methodology: Education for All in India – GER Analysis.

With Bihar and Uttar Pradesh still enrolling over 40 percent of India’s secondary students despite their shrinking shares, any further erosion in these states – home to the largest cohorts of out-of-school adolescents – will render the 2030 target mathematically unattainable unless enrolment growth in the remaining 72 percent of the country outpaces population growth by an implausible margin. The data thus serves as an urgent diagnostic: universal secondary education hinges not merely on national averages but on reversing the free fall in India’s demographic heartland, where the stakes are highest and the momentum currently runs in the wrong direction. For detailed national breakdowns, see UDISEPlus All India Report.

Facility and Quality Indicators: Comparing Bihar and UP with All India: 2024-25

Beyond enrolment numbers, UDISEPlus 2024-25 reveals concerning facility and quality gaps in Bihar and UP that exacerbate declines. The table below compares key indicators: single-teacher schools (% of total), schools without enrolment (% of total), enrolment in schools without teachers (% of total enrolment), small schools with 1-30 enrolment (% of total schools), Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR), and untrained teachers (% of total teachers). Data highlights systemic under-resourcing in these states, contributing to retention challenges.

Quality and Performance Indicators: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, UDISE+ 2024-25

Indicator (2024–25)

 India Bihar

Uttar Pradesh
% Single-Teacher Schools 7.08% 1.98% 3.62%
% Schools Without Enrolment 0.54% 0.005% 0.031%
% Enrolment in Single-Teacher Schools to Total Enrolment 1.37% 0.83% 1.46%
% Schools Having Enrolment ≤ 30 22.2% 4.4% 7.8%
Pupil–Teacher Ratio (Primary Level) 20 26 20
% Untrained Teachers (Primary Level) 8.6% 10.1% 12.4%
Average Enrolment per School 168 224 163
Average Teachers per School 7 7 6
Dropout Rate (Primary 1–5) 0.3% 2.9% 1.2%
Dropout Rate (Upper Primary 6–8) 3.5% 9.3% 2.5%
Dropout Rate (Secondary 9–10) 11.5% 6.9% 3.6%
Transition Rate (Primary→Upper Primary) 92.2% 71.8% 91.0%
Transition Rate (Upper Primary→Secondary) 86.6% 66.7% 78.1%
Transition Rate (Secondary→Higher Secondary) 75.1% 65.8% 76.6%
Retention Rate (Primary 1–5) 92.4% 87.5% 91.0%
Retention Rate (Elementary 1–8) 82.8% 72.8% 78.1%
Retention Rate (Secondary 1–10) 62.9% 35.9% 76.6%

The UDISE+ 2024–25 data presents a mixed picture of India’s progress toward achieving equitable and quality education for all. While national indicators show continued consolidation of primary education, significant inter-state disparities persist, particularly between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

1. School Infrastructure and Staffing Patterns
At the national level, 7.08 percent of schools are single-teacher institutions. Bihar (1.98%) and Uttar Pradesh (3.62%) perform better on this indicator. However, teacher quality remains a concern with 10.1% and 12.4% untrained teachers in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh respectively.

The PTR remains satisfactory – 26 in Bihar, 20 in Uttar Pradesh, and 20 nationally.

2. School Size and Enrolment Distribution

Smaller schools (enrolment ≤30) are far fewer in Bihar (4.4%) and Uttar Pradesh (7.8%) than the national average (22.2%). This indicates more balanced enrolment distribution in these states. Schools without enrolment are negligible, confirming universal access to schooling infrastructure.

3. Dropout Patterns

Dropouts increase with grade level – nationally from 0.3% at primary to 11.5% at secondary. Bihar records higher dropout rates (2.9%, 9.3%, and 6.9%), while Uttar Pradesh performs better (1.2%, 2.5%, and 3.6%) – below national averages across all levels.

4. Transition Between Levels
Transition from primary to upper-primary is strong nationally (92.2%) but remains weak in Bihar (71.8%), indicating bottlenecks beyond Grade 5. Uttar Pradesh performs well with transition rates (91.0%, 78.1%, and 76.6%) that align with or exceed national averages.

5. Retention and Cohort Completion
National retention is 92.4% at primary, 82.8% at elementary, and 62.9% at secondary. Bihar’s retention drops sharply after primary (87.5%, 72.8%, and 35.9%), while Uttar Pradesh maintains higher consistency (91.0%, 78.1%, and 76.6%).

6. Policy Implications
Bihar remains below national averages in quality and continuity indicators despite improved access. In the other hand, Uttar Pradesh demonstrates strong progression and retention but must focus on teacher training and transition at upper levels. Nationally, the focus must now shift from access to quality, ensuring trained teachers, better learning outcomes, and stronger secondary retention. India is nearing universal primary education but must tackle secondary-level dropout and transition challenges. Bihar needs urgent policy interventions to improve teacher quality and reduce dropouts, while Uttar Pradesh must sustain its gains and further enhance secondary-level retention. It goes without saying that unless Bihar and Uttar Pradesh achieve universal secondary education, India cannot realize the NEP 2020 vision of universalisation by 2030

Concluding Observations

The enrolment declines in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, as illuminated by UDISEPlus data, represent a clarion call for urgent, localized interventions. Bihar’s catastrophic 25.50% elementary drop and UP’s 14.30% erosion – together erasing over 10 million foundational learners – underscore how demographic giants can destabilize national progress toward SDG 4 and NEP 2020. While pre-primary expansions offer glimmers of hope, the persistent “leakage” to secondary stages, compounded by gender-specific vulnerabilities (e.g., boys’ primary losses), demands a multi-pronged response: bolstering the Student Databbase Management System (SDMS) with migration-aware tracking, scaling scholarships like Bihar’s Student Credit Card, and emulating successes in states like Odisha through community enrollment drives.

Facility indicators (e.g., Bihar’s 26:1 PTR) and outcomes (e.g., 71.8% transition rate) reveal quality deficits fueling dropouts, echoing 2015-16’s 1.5 million Bihar plunge from data refinements. Failure to act risks entrenching inequities, with Bihar and UP’s shrinking shares (from 28.15% to 25.89% of national total) projecting 5-7 million fewer secondary completers annually by 2030. Yet, this crisis is reversible: leveraging UDISEPlus for state-led analytics, as advocated by Prof. Mehta, and fostering public-private partnerships could transform data into demographic dividends. India must prioritize these heartlands to ensure universal secondary education is not just a policy aspiration but a lived reality for every child.

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