Context
According to the Ministry of Education’s recent Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data for the academic year 2021-22, India’s school system has been able to retain more students over time.
Total enrollment in 2021-22 was slightly more than 25.57 crore, a 19 lakh increase over 2020-21, with more than 8 lakh female students.
Relevance
GS Paper 2: Social Justice
Mains question
National Education Policy 2020 aligns with SDG-4 (2030). It wants to revamp Indian education. Analyze the claim. (250 Words)
The UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education):
- Launched in 2012-13 by the Ministry of Education’s Department of School Education and Literacy, UDISE is one of the largest Management Information Systems on School Education.
- It incorporates the District Information System for Education for elementary and secondary school students.
- It covers more than 1.5 million schools, 9.6 million teachers, and 264 million children.
UDISE+ Information:
- It is an updated and improved version of UDISE, created in 2018-19, with online data collection from schools to address issues with manual data filling.
- Inclusion of a school’s name in any of the lists in the UDISE+ does not confer recognition by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
- Significance:
- A well-functioning and long-term Educational Management Information System is critical today, as timely and accurate data is the foundation of sound and effective planning and decision-making.
UDISE+ data highlights for the academic year 2021-22:
- The total number of schools was 14 in 2021-22. 9 lakhs versus 15 lakhs in 2020-21. This decrease is primarily due to the closure of private and other management schools, as well as school grouping/clustering by various states.
- Private schools accounted for 24% of those that closed, while government schools accounted for 48%.
- Enrollment in public schools:
- The trend of children switching from private to public schools has accelerated in the last fiscal year, demonstrating the economic toll of the pandemic, which has resulted in job losses and wage cuts.
- During the period, enrollment in government schools increased by 83.35 lakh, while enrollment in private schools decreased by 68.85 lakh.
- Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of students enrolled in government schools and teachers hired.
- The pupil teacher ratio has improved between 2018-19 and 2021-22 across all levels of school education, with the total number of teachers in 2018-19 increasing to 95 lakhs in 2021-22.
- The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): The GER, which denotes enrollment in a certain level of education as a fraction of the population in the age-group most age-appropriate for that level of education, decreased marginally at the secondary level while rising across all levels.
- The Gender Parity Index (GPI): The Gender Parity Index (GPI) compares the representation of females in school education to the representation of girls in the population of corresponding age groups.
- Its values are one or more at all levels of school education, indicating increased female participation in school education.
- Over 12. In 2021-22, 3 crore girls will be enrolled in primary to secondary school, an increase of 8. 2 lakhs more girls enrolled in 2020-21.
- Overall school infrastructure has improved, particularly in terms of the availability of electricity, drinking water, computers, internet, and toilets for children with special needs.
