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Educational Data

[NEW] On December 30, 2024, after nearly two years, the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India, finally released the UDISEPlus data for the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. Each year’s data includes two reports—one focusing on the existing structure and the other aligned with the NEP 2020 framework. The reports highlight that due to a shift in data collection methodology, introduced in 2022-23 through SDMIS, the latest figures are not comparable with data from 2021-22 and earlier. However, a critical question remains unanswered—why was the data withheld until December 30, 2024, despite states having access to the full datasets for both years much earlier?

[Previous] We are into 2024, but the latest educational data from administrative surveys (as of 23rd January 2024) has become outdated. The primary responsibility to collect educational data lies with the Ministry of Education, which is managed by the Department of School Education and Literacy: UDISEPlus and by the Department of Higher Education: AISHE, which are the latest available for the year 2021-22 and 2020-21 respectively. Without current data, one can easily understand how school education plans are formulated. How 2023-24 plans are developed based on the outdated data of 2021-22?

It is also important to note that data collection for 2023-24 has already been launched without sharing 2022-23 data. No details are available about the release of  2022-23 data collected through UDISEPlus. At one point, the time lag in the availability of educational data was reduced to less than a year at the national level, which has increased again, especially after the responsibility of UDISEPlus from 2018-19 data collection shifted to the Ministry of Education. It seems that neither the authorities nor the researchers, policymakers, and data users are concerned about the inordinate delay in educational data. The Same is true for All India Survey on Higher Education, which is the latest available for 2020-21.

It is observed that the last date to complete UDISEPlus 2023-24 data was the 31st December 2023; no updates are available after that. Sources suggest that the delay may be because of the steep decline in enrolment in 2022-23. Perhaps 2022-23 data will be skipped or released along with 2023-24. Let us wait and watch! Till then, use the outdated data.

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