Parliament Question: Net Enrolment Ratio

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2905 ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 Net Enrolment Ratio 2905 Shri Tiruchi Siva: Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state: (a) details of distribution of schools in the country, by rural-urban divide, State-wise and level of education; (b) whether Government has taken cognizance of the low level of enrolment in secondary age-specific net enrolment ratio; (c) rationale for such transition losses and dropout rates seen in rural students in secondary schools; (d) steps being taken to ensure that students remain in school after Grade VIII, if any; and (e) whether Government is taking any step to ensure more secondary-level schools are opened in rural areas and if so, details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a): As per UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus), State/UT wise Rural- Urban schools at various levels of education for the year 2024-25 is available at https://www.education.gov.in/en/parl_ques. (b) to (d): As per UDISE+, Net Enrolment Rate and Dropout rate for the years 2024-25 is as under: India Year 2024-25 Net Enrolment Rate (NER) at Secondary Level (Class 9-10) 47.5 Dropout rate at Secondary Level (Class 9-10) 11.5 Education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the domain of respective State and UT Governments. The Central Government assist States and UTs through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha and hot cooked meal provided from Balvatika to class 8 under Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Yojna. Financial assistance/grant is also provided to the States and UTs for various activities to reduce dropout and increase enrolment in Government schools, which include opening/strengthening of new schools up to Senior Secondary level, strengthening school infrastructure, setting up and up gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) upto class 12, setting up of residential schools/hostels named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, hostels under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), transport allowance, undertaking enrolment drives, seasonal hostels/residential camps, provision of vocational education and ICT facilities in schools, providing free text books and free uniform, transport/escort facility, etc.As per report titled ‘Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)’ for the year 2023-24 released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the major reasons for the students who never attended the schools are to supplement household income, to attend domestic chores, education not considered necessary, etc. (e): As per UDISE+ Government schools at secondary level in rural areas for the years 2023-24 & 2024-25 is as under: Government Schools at Secondary Level (Rural) Government Schools at Secondary 2023-24 2024-25 Level (Rural) 1,00,147 1,01,229 ******