Infrastructure Gap In Indian Government Schools

January 3, 2025

GS Paper II Polity

Infrastructure Gap In Indian Government Schools

Recently the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) maintained by the Ministry of Education released data on Indian Schools.

Key Findings of UDISE+ 2023-24:

Electricity Connection :Of the total 14.71 lakh schools, 10.17 lakh schools are government-run out of which 9.12 lakh schools have Functional electricity, while 1.52 lakh schools lack functional Electricity.
Solar Panel Installation: only 1.54 lakh schools (10.5%) of the total number of 14.71 lakh schools having solar panel facilities. In government schools, out of 10.17 lakh schools, only 89,746 (8.8%) have installed solar panels
Accessibility for Differently abled: Out of 10.17 lakh government schools, only 3.37 lakh schools have disabled-friendly toilets, which accounts for 33.2% of schools. However, only 30.6% of them are functional.
Overview of Science Lab facilities: Among the total schools having secondary sections (2.86 lakh), only 1.6 lakh have an integrated science laboratory facility. Among the 1.19 lakh government secondary schools (59,972), 50.2% schools have a science lab facility.
Co-Curricular Activities: Only 17.5% schools have co-curricular activity rooms/arts and crafts, that is, 2.57 lakh schools out of 14.71 lakh total schools.
Enrolment Trends: A total of 24.8 crore students were enrolled during the 2023-24 academic year, marking a consistent decline over the past three years.
- Pre-primary and higher secondary levels (Classes 11 and 12) showed an increase in enrolment for 2023-24.
- The highest dropout rates were observed at the secondary level (Classes 9 to 12).
- Zero-dropout rates were recorded at the foundational level (pre-primary to Class 2) due to direct admissions from Anganwadi centers and standalone private pre-primary schools into Class 1.
- Regional Disparities: States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra reported the highest declines in enrolments.
  - Assam, Odisha, and Karnataka face underutilized school infrastructure due to low student-to-school ratios.
- Gender Representation: Boys constitute 51.9% of enrolments, while girls account for 48.1%.

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About Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+)

UDISE+ was developed by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DOSEL) and has been operational since 2018-19.
Purpose: It serves as an online portal to collect and maintain data related to schools, teachers, enrolments, and infrastructure for all recognized schools across India.
Data Collection Process
Data is captured through the Data Capture Format (DCF), compiled by the Head Teacher or Head Master.
It undergoes a three-stage verification process at the block/cluster, district, and state levels.
Final certification is provided by the State Project Director (SPD).
Significance: UDISE+ is the only pan-India and most trusted database for school education in the country.

Initiative of Government to improve School Education

Scheme /Programme	Key Features	Statistics/Highlights
Samagra Shiksha	Integrated scheme covering pre-primary to senior secondary. Aligns with NEP 2020. Focus on foundational literacy, inclusive education, teacher training, vocational education, and quality learning outcomes.	Supports foundational literacy, internships, vocational education, and holistic progress cards.
PM POSHAN	Improves nutritional status of children from Balvatika to Class VIII in government and aided schools. Encourages regular school attendance among disadvantaged groups.	Covers children in government and aided schools, supporting classroom concentration and attendance.
National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship	Scholarships for students of Classes IX to XII from economically weaker sections. Aims to reduce dropouts at Class VIII and encourage completion of secondary education.	For students studying in government, aided, and local body schools.
ULLAS	Promotes adult education for non-literates aged 15+ through volunteerism. Content accessible in local languages on the DIKSHA platform.	Implemented through UDISE-registered government/aided schools.
PM SHRI Schools	Centrally sponsored initiative to develop 14,500 schools as examples of NEP 2020 implementation. Focuses on innovative pedagogy, zero dropout rates, and pupil-teacher ratio compliance.	Includes 10,077 schools (839 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 599 Navodaya Vidyalayas, and 8,639 state/local government schools). UP, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh top in school numbers under the scheme.

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