The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus Report is an extensive document that outlines essential information regarding school enrollment, dropout rates, teacher headcounts and other infrastructural facilities. Introduced in 2018-19, its purpose was to hasten data entry, minimize errors, enhance data quality and simplify its verification.
Overview of the UDISE Plus 2021-22 Report Findings
Some key findings from the UDISE Plus 2021-22 report include a general decline in student enrollments at both pre-primary and primary levels compared to the previous years. The number of operating schools also saw a minor drop, primarily due to the closure of privately managed institutions. Despite this, an increase was noted in the total number of students attending primary to higher secondary education.
Furthermore, the availability of computer and internet facilities has increased slightly from the pre-pandemic times, although internet access remains limited to only about one-third of the schools.
The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which compares enrolments to the corresponding age group population, showed improvement across primary, secondary, and higher secondary levels. Significant advancement was also observed across specific categories, with Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Class enrollments seeing a rise. Additionally, there was an increase in the enrollment of children with special needs.
Insights into the Gender Parity Index (GPI)
The Gender Parity Index indicates the representation of girls in school compared to their population in the relevant age group. As per the report, more than 12.29 crore girls were enrolled in primary to higher secondary education in 2021-22, indicating an increase compared to the previous year.
About the Performance Grading Index (PGI)
The Performance Grading Index is a comprehensive analysis of the school education system across states and Union Territories. It assigns States and Union Territories into 10 grades based on their score out of a total of 1000 points. The analysis is carried out across five domains: learning outcome, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity, and governance process. The prime objective of the PGI is to encourage evidence-based policymaking and identify areas for intervention.
Findings of the Performance Grading Index
The PGI indicates that seven States and Union Territories achieved Level II (score 901-950) in 2020-21 as compared to none in 2017-18 and four in 2019-20. Several other States and Union Territories, like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Odisha, reached Level 3. Additionally, Ladakh recorded significant improvement, moving up from Level 10 in 2019-2020 to Level 4 in 2020-2021.
Examination of the Indian Education System
Hosting nearly 14.9 lakh schools, employing around 95 lakh teachers, and educating about 26.5 crore students, the Indian Education System is one of the largest globally. However, it still grapples with challenges like insufficient infrastructure and low government expenditure on education. To tackle these issues, initiatives like the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, PRAGYATA, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and PM SHRI Schools have been launched.
Last Modified: February 18, 2024