Lucknow: Despite having the largest school system in the country with 2.62 lakh schools, Uttar Pradesh has just 7,610 institutions where integrated schooling from Class 1 to XII operates, leading to transition inefficiencies and an increased risk of dropouts, according to the NITI Aayog’s report on School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement.
The report reveals that Uttar Pradesh has no children out of school at the primary level (Class 1) in 2024-25, compared to a 7% dropout rate a decade ago. However, the state recorded the steepest rise in upper primary (Class VI) dropouts, from 0.52% in 2014-15 to 3% in 2024-25. At the secondary level, 7% of students discontinue education during an academic year.
Gross Enrolment Ratio Trends
According to the report, Uttar Pradesh shows the steepest relative decline in the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the primary level, from 112.09% in 2014-15 to 83.1% in 2024-25. An official noted that the high numbers in 2014-15 were due to the inclusion of over-age and under-age students. GER measures total enrolment in a particular level of education, regardless of age, as a percentage of the official age-group population for that level.
At the secondary level, Uttar Pradesh also emerges as a weak performer, with GER standing at 64.3% in 2024-25, down from 68.78% in 2014-15. However, the state saw more enrolments at the upper primary level, rising from 74.57% in 2014-15 to 83.9% in 2024-25. Notable improvement was also recorded at the higher secondary level (Class XI), with GER increasing to 57.4% in 2024-25 from 52.9% in 2014-15.
Transition Rates and Challenges
Uttar Pradesh recorded one of the sharpest increases in transition from primary to upper primary level, from 78.46% in 2014-15 to 91% in 2024-25. Transition rates indicate the proportion of students progressing from one educational level to the next. However, the progression from upper primary to secondary level is worrisome. The transition rate declined to 78.1% in 2024-25 from 93.82% in 2014-15. The report also shows a decline in transition to higher secondary, falling to 78.6% in 2024-25 from 80.45% in 2014-15, citing persistent challenges in ensuring retention through secondary and higher secondary levels.
“As participation beyond Class 10 lies outside the mandate of the RTE Act, financial constraints, early entry into the workforce, and social pressures continue to impede progression, underscoring the need for sustained policy and institutional support,” the report points out.
