Bengal sees rise in dropout rates but retention and transition outshine nat’l avg: UDISE+ 2024-25 report

Kolkata: After registering “zero dropout” at the primary and upper primary levels in 2023-24, Bengal has witnessed a setback this year, with the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2024-25 report showing an increase in dropout rates.

According to the Union Ministry of Education’s report, dropout rates in Bengal now stand at 2.4 per cent at the preparatory level (classes III–V), 3 per cent at the middle level (VI–VIII) and 20.3 per cent at the secondary stage (IX–XII). Last year, the figures were zero at preparatory and middle levels and 12 per cent at the secondary stage.

While Bengal’s preparatory and secondary dropout rates are higher than the national averages of 2.3 per cent and 8.2 per cent, respectively, the state continues to perform better at the middle level (3.5 per cent nationally). The state has also improved since 2022-23, when dropout rates were 8.2 per cent in primary and 3.4 per cent in upper primary (middle).

Officials highlighted that Bengal continues to outshine the national average in transition and retention rates. Transition from foundational to preparatory was 99.9 per cent against the national 98.6, preparatory to middle 98.9 per cent against 92.2, and middle to secondary 91.9 per cent compared with 86.6 nationally. Retention also showed a lead: 100 per cent at foundational level, 88.3 per cent in middle and 49.7 per cent at secondary, above the national averages of 98.9 per cent, 82.8 per cent and 47.2 per cent.

Only at the preparatory stage did Bengal trail slightly, with 85.3 per cent compared to 92.4 per cent nationally.

The state currently has 1.70 crore students, a decline of nearly 10 lakh from 1.80 crore in 2023-24.

The number of schools also dropped marginally from 93,945 to 93,715. Educationists observed this as part of a nationwide trend, with national enrolment falling from 25.17 crore in 2022-23 to 24.80 crore in 2023-24, and further down to 24.69 crore in 2024-25, while the total number of schools declined by nearly 400.

Bengal’s schools without a single student rose from 3,254 to 3,812, employing 18,000 teachers this year compared with 14,600 last year. Single-teacher schools increased from 6,366 to 6,482, though the number of students depending on them fell from 2.48 lakh to 2.35 lakh. On a positive note, the state added over 7,000 teachers, improving the pupil-teacher ratio from 31 to 29. At the preparatory stage, the ratio dropped to 13 (from 14), while middle and secondary improved to 27 (from 28) and 25 (from 28).

Enrolment in Bengal’s government and aided schools fell from 1.65 crore in 2021-22 to 1.59 crore in 2023-24, and further to 1.49 crore in 2024-25, marking another 10 lakh drop in a year. This mirrors the national decline, where government school enrolment fell from 16.24 crore in 2022-23 to 14.63 crore in 2024-25, a reduction of 1.6 crore in just two years.