A recent report by NITI Aayog reveals that 25 schools are closing every day in India, resulting in a significant drop in student enrolment over the past decade. The closure rate culminates in the shutting down of 94,000 government schools between 2014 and 2024. The decline has been attributed to various factors, including a reduced school-age population influenced by falling fertility rates.

Throughout this period, the total number of government schools diminished from 11.07 lakh in the academic year 2014-15 to 10.13 lakh by 2024-25. Alongside this, government-aided schools also experienced a drop, decreasing from 83,000 to 79,000. In contrast, private educational institutions saw growth, rising from 2.88 lakh to 3.39 lakh during the same timeframe.

Decline in Overall Student Enrolment

According to the NITI Aayog report titled “School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement”, total school enrolment fell from 26.95 crore in 2014-15 to 24.69 crore in 2024-25. This decline is partly due to school consolidations, which involve merging nearby schools that struggle with low student numbers. While this is aimed at resource optimisation, it has raised concerns among education activists who argue that it may contribute to even lower enrolment as children may cease to attend school when local options close.

Retention rates present a further challenge, particularly beyond primary education. Although the dropout rate for primary classes stands at a low 0.3 per cent, figures increase at higher levels, with dropout rates reported at 3.5 per cent for upper primary schooling and escalating to 11.5 per cent for secondary education. Transition from upper primary to secondary schooling has also declined, with rates dropping from 91.58 per cent in 2014-15 to 86.6 per cent in 2024-25.

States like Puducherry and Kerala have demonstrated high transition rates at 99.6 per cent. However, regions including Meghalaya, Bihar, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland have observed significantly lower transition rates, indicating a disparity in educational progress across the country.

Impact of School Mergers on Learning Outcomes

The report highlights significant school mergers, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where approximately 40,000 schools have been merged over the last decade. This consolidation trend presents implications for student performance beyond mere enrolment statistics, as learning gaps at the secondary level have been noted. Many Class IX students reportedly struggle not only with advanced topics such as algebra and geometry but also with basic concepts like percentages and fractions.

This raises serious concerns about foundational learning in the schooling system, as the results indicate that students face continued challenges as they progress through their education. The data suggests that alongside enrolment and retention problems, the quality of education remains a critical issue, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to improve both access to and the effectiveness of educational programmes across India.

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