School enrollments decline in last 2 years, elementary level sees 8% drop: Govt

New Delhi: The country has reported a worrying drop in school enrollments in 2023-24, especially at the elementary level where numbers declined by around eight percentage points compared to 2021-22, according to government data presented in Parliament on Thursday.

Replying to a question on the living standards of tribal people, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey told Lok Sabha that the gross enrollment ratio of tribal students at the elementary level declined from 103.4 per cent in 2021-22 to 97.1 per cent in 2023-24.

In comparison, the GER of students from all communities dropped sharply from 100.13 per cent in 2021-22 to 91.7 per cent in 2023-24.

At the secondary level (classes 9-10), the GER of tribal students dropped from 78.1 per cent in 2021-22 to 76.9 per cent in 2023-24, the data showed.

For students from all communities, the GER at the secondary level decreased from 79.56 per cent in 2021-22 to 77.4 per cent in 2023-24.

At the senior secondary level (classes 11-12), the GER of ST students dropped to 52 per cent in 2021-22 to 48.7 per cent in 2023-24.

In comparison, the GER of students from all communities at this level dropped from 57.56 per cent in 2021-22 to 56.2 per cent in 2023-24.

On Wednesday, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari demanded a clarification from the government on the "significant decline" in school enrolment in recent years, alleging that the Narendra Modi dispensation was not serious about education.

Referring to a report of the United District Information System for Education (UDISE), a database developed and managed by the Union education ministry, he said in Rajya Sabha that it showed an unprecedented decline in school enrolment in recent years and how the Modi government had failed to secure youngsters' futures.

The decline reflects rising economic disparity and financial mismanagement, Tiwari said.

The report highlighted infrequent use of classrooms in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Assam and lack of basic infrastructure and excessive load in Telangana, West Bengal and Punjab, the Congress MP said.