What Does UDISE+ 2024-25 Enrolment Ratios Reveal About Universal Secondary Education in India?
Introduction
India’s pursuit of Universal Secondary Education, as envisioned under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, targets 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at secondary and higher secondary levels by 2030. This ambitious goal seeks to ensure equitable access, retention, and completion for all children aged 14-18, addressing longstanding disparities in gender, social categories, and regions. The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2024-25 report, released by the Ministry of Education on 28th August 2025, provides the latest snapshot of school education, drawing from 1.47 million schools, 246.93 million enrolments, and 10.12 million teachers. This article critically examines the enrolment ratios – GER, Net Enrolment Ratio (NER), Adjusted Net Enrolment Ratio (ANER), and Age-Specific Enrolment Ratio (ASER) – exclusively using 2024-25 data to assess progress toward universal secondary education. At the all-India level, secondary GER stands at 78.7%, far from universality, while state-level variations underscore uneven implementation. The analysis highlights implications for equity, transitions, and retention, revealing structural barriers like high dropouts (11.5% at secondary) and low transition rates (75.1% from secondary to higher secondary). Limitations of each ratio are discussed, emphasizing the need for nuanced interpretation.
Status of Secondary Education in India by Arun C Mehta
Review of UDISE+ 2024-25 Enrolment Data
The UDISE+ 2024-25 dataset captures enrolment across primary (Classes 1-5, ages 6-10), upper primary (Classes 6-8, ages 11-13), secondary (Classes 9-10, ages 14-15), and higher secondary (Classes 11-12, ages 16-17) levels. Enrolment ratios are derived from reported student numbers cross-referenced with 2024 population projections (based on the Expert Committee). Nationally, total enrolments reached 246.93 million, with girls comprising 48.5% (119.7 million). However, secondary and higher secondary levels show sharper declines: secondary enrolments at 37.2 million (15.96% of total) and higher secondary at 27.6 million (11.9%). State-wise disparities are stark, with Uttar Pradesh (5.71 million secondary enrolments) and Maharashtra (3.61 million) dominating, while smaller states like Goa exhibit higher per-school averages (203 students). Dropout rates escalate from 0.3% at primary to 11.5% at secondary, transition rates dip to 86.6% from upper primary to secondary, and retention falls to 62.9% through secondary (Classes 1-10). These metrics signal bottlenecks in achieving universality, particularly in underserved regions.
Can universal secondary education be achieved in india in near future?
Enrolment Ratios by Level of Education: UDISEPlus 2020-21 to 2024-25
| Level | GER | NER | ||||||
| 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
| Primary | 103.3 | 103.4 | 93 | 90.9 | 92.7 | 88.6 | 79 | 76.9 |
| Upper Primary | 92.2 | 94.7 | 89.7 | 90.3 | 74.1 | 71.3 | 66 | 67.3 |
| Elementary | 99.1 | 100.1 | 91.7 | 90.6 | 92.1 | 90.5 | 83.3 | 82.8 |
| Secondary | 79.8 | 79.6 | 77.4 | 78.7 | 52.5 | 47.9 | 48.3 | 47.5 |
| Higher Secondary | 53.8 | 57.6 | 56.2 | 58.4 | 34.7 | 34.2 | 33.8 | 35.8 |
| Level | Adjusted NER | ASER* | ||||||
| 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
| Primary | 98.6 | 99.1 | 85.9 | 83.2 | 98.6 | 99.1 (6-10 years) | 85.3 | 83.2 |
| Upper Primary | 84.4 | 87.3 | 76.2 | 77.9 | 91.6 | 92.2 (11-13 years) | 89.2 | 92.7 |
| Elementary | 96.0 | 96.5 | 87.2 | 86.8 | 96.0 | 96.5 (6-13 years) | 86.7 | 86.8 |
| Secondary | 61.8 | 64.7 | 60.5 | 59.8 | 73.4 | 72.8 (14-15 years) | 77 | 77.3 |
| Higher Secondary | – | – | – | – | 46.3 | 42.4 (16-17 years) | 75.5 | 77.2 |
Analysis of Enrolment Ratios
Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER)
GER measures total enrolment in a level as a percentage of the official age-group population, allowing values over 100% due to grade repetition or overage/underage students. Its limitation lies in overestimation of access, as it includes out-of-age learners, masking true age-appropriate participation and inflating progress in states with high repetition.
All-India Level: Secondary GER is 78.7% (boys: 77.3%, girls: 80.2%), indicating moderate access but gender parity (GPI 1.0). Higher secondary GER drops to 58.4% (boys: 56.2%, girls: 60.9%), with a widening gender gap (GPI 1.1). This implies partial universality at secondary but systemic exclusion at higher secondary, where only 58% of the age cohort (16-17 years) is enrolled. For universal secondary education, it signals inadequate infrastructure and socio-economic pull factors, exacerbating inequality – e.g., only 47.2% retention through higher secondary.
Gender-specific Gross enrolment Ratio: 2024-25
| Level | GER, 2024-25 | ||
| Boys | Girls | Total | |
| Primary: Grades I to V | 89.6 | 92.3 | 90.9 |
| Upper Primary: Grades VI to VIII | 88.3 | 92.5 | 90.3 |
| Elementary: Grades I to VIII | 89.1 | 92.4 | 90.6 |
| Secondary: Grades IX & X | 77.3 | 80.2 | 78.7 |
| Higher Secondary: Grades XI & XII | 56.2 | 60.9 | 58.4 |
State-Specific Analysis: High performers include Chandigarh (secondary GER 110.1%, higher secondary 107.4%) and Delhi (101.1%, 82.7%), driven by urban density and aided schools. States needing improvement: Bihar (secondary 51.1%, higher secondary 38.1%) and Madhya Pradesh (68.2%, 45.0%), where low infrastructure (e.g., only 35% functional toilets in Bihar) and high dropouts (9.3% upper primary) hinder access. North-eastern states like Meghalaya (86.2% secondary but 39.7% higher secondary) show volatility due to migration.
| Level | Metric | All India | Andaman & Nicobar | Andhra Pradesh | Arunachal Pradesh | Assam | Bihar | Chandigarh | Chhattisgarh | West Bengal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | GER Boys | 89.6 | 85.1 | 91.3 | 112.2 | 105.5 | 75.7 | 90.6 | 88.5 | 105.6 |
State-wise Enrolment Ratios: UDISEPlus 2024-25, GER, NER, Adjusted-NER & ASER
Net Enrolment Rate (NER)
NER calculates the percentage of the official age group enrolled exactly at that level, providing a stricter measure of age-appropriate access. Its limitation is underestimation in flexible systems, ignoring cross-level enrolments, and sensitivity to accurate age reporting.
All-India Level: Secondary NER is 47.5% (boys: 46.6%, girls: 48.6%), reflecting only half the 14-15 age cohort in secondary grades. Higher secondary NER is 35.8% (boys: 34.2%, girls: 37.6%). This low figure implies significant out-of-school children (OOSC), with implications for universal secondary: high exclusion (52.5% OOSC at secondary) due to economic pressures, linked to 11.5% dropout and 86.6% transition from upper primary.
State-Specific Analysis: Leaders: Goa (secondary 75.3%, higher secondary 64.7%) and Puducherry (80.2%, 78.6%), benefiting from compact geography. Laggards: Bihar (28.8% secondary, 20.2% higher secondary) and Uttar Pradesh (31.9%, 31.1%), where poverty and gender norms drive disparities. West Bengal’s low higher secondary NER (29.1%) highlights retention failures despite strong primary access.
Dropout-Rate-at-Secondary-Level-Source: UDISEPlus-2024-25
Adjusted Net Enrolment Rate (ANER)
ANER adjusts NER by including official age-group children enrolled in adjacent levels, offering a broader access metric. Limitation: It may overlook extreme grade mismatches and relies on precise data, potentially undercounting mobile populations.
All-India Level: Secondary ANER is 59.8% (boys: 57.8%, girls: 62.0%), better than NER but still below 75%, indicating spill-overs from elementary but persistent gaps. No higher secondary ANER is reported, limiting comparability. Implications: Suggests 40.2% effective exclusion at secondary, tied to low retention (62.9% through Classes 1-10) and high dropouts (11.5%), undermining universality.
State-Specific Analysis: Top states: Chandigarh (105.8% secondary) and Kerala (95.3%), with strong equity focus. Concerns in Madhya Pradesh (53.4%) and Uttar Pradesh (38.6%), where rural-urban divides amplify issues.
Age-Specific Enrolment Rate (ASER)
ASER gauges enrolment of exact age groups in any educational level, capturing true participation. Limitation: It aggregates across levels, potentially conflating early/late entrants and excluding non-formal education.
All-India Level: For ages 14-15 (secondary), ASER is 77.3% (boys: 76.0%, girls: 78.6%); for 16-17 (higher secondary), 77.2% (boys: 76.6%, girls: 77.8%). Higher than NER but stagnant, implying 22.7% OOSC at secondary ages. For universality, it reveals hidden dropouts post-elementary, with low transition (75.1%) and retention (47.2% through higher secondary) as culprits.
State-Specific Analysis: Excelling: Delhi (100.0% for 14-15, 85.3% for 16-17) and Goa (100.0%, 98.4%). Needing intervention: Bihar (54.3% for 14-15, 28.9% for 16-17) and Jharkhand (76.5%, 41.0%), where tribal/rural gaps persist.
State-Wise Adjusted NER and ASER for Girls: Analysis
Focusing on girls, as gender equity is pivotal for universality, Adjusted-NER and Age-SER reveal progress but persistent gaps. Nationally, girls’ secondary ANER (62.0%) exceeds boys’ (57.8%), with ASER at 78.6% (vs. 76.0%). However, in Bihar (girls’ secondary ANER 44.7%, ASER 57.7%) and Rajasthan (70.1%, 77.7%), cultural barriers limit gains. High performers like Kerala (97.1% ANER, 98.8% ASER) leverage Samagra Shiksha’s gender-focused interventions.
| State/UT | Primary ANER Girls | Upper Primary ANER Girls | Secondary ANER Girls | Primary ASER Girls | Upper Primary ASER Girls | Secondary ASER Girls | Higher Secondary ASER Girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All India | 85.4 | 80.5 | 62.0 | 85.4 | 94.7 | 78.6 | 77.8 |
State-specific UDISEPlus 2024-25 Adjusted NER (ANER) presented above reveals that Girls outperform boys nationally but lag in laggard states, necessitating targeted scholarships under Samagra Shiksha.
Concluding Observations
UDISE+ 2024-25 enrolment ratios paint a sobering picture: secondary access hovers at 78.7% GER but plummets to 47.5% NER, with higher secondary at 58.4% GER and 35.8% NER, far from 100% universality by 2030. High dropouts (11.5% secondary), low transitions (75.1% to higher secondary), and retention (62.9% through secondary) at these levels signal structural failures – rural exclusion, infrastructure deficits (e.g., 28% functional CWSN toilets), and socio-economic barriers. State disparities amplify this: southern states near targets, while so-called BIMARU regions falter. Without improving the efficiency of primary and upper primary levels of education – evidenced by low NER (primary: 76.9%, upper primary: 67.3%) and retention rates (primary: 92.4%, elementary: 82.8%) – the secondary level cannot get enough elementary graduates, without which secondary education cannot improve; this is fundamentally a function of elementary graduates and the 15-16 year child population.
Achieving 2030 targets is improbable without acceleration; current trends (1-2% annual GER rise) project universality around 2040-45. Why? Absence of disaggregated annual targets in Samagra Shiksha hampers monitoring – progress is un-trackable without benchmarks like 5% yearly NER gains. India must enforce rigorous stock-taking via UDISE+ audits to identify Out-of-School-Children hotspots, followed by localized initiatives: community mobilization, transport subsidies, and vocational integration.
Leverage Samagra Shiksha provisions: equity grants for Girls/SC/ST (e.g., Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas), digital initiatives, and composite schools to boost transitions. Set annual targets – e.g., 82% secondary GER by 2026, 90% by 2028 – tied to funding. Without this, monitoring remains moot, perpetuating inequity. Likely achievement year: 2042 for secondary GER at 100%, requiring 4% annual growth from now.
Suggested Readings
- Ministry of Education. (2025). UDISE+ 2024-25 Report. Government of India.
- NEP 2020: Chapter 4 on Equitable and Inclusive Education.
- ASER (2024). Annual Status of Education Report (for methodological parallels).
- Mehta, A. C. (2024). “School Education in India: Where Do We Stand? Analysis based on UDISEPlus 2023-24.” This analysis provides foundational insights into enrolment trends, complementing the 2024-25 data discussed here.
