In 2024-25, India's school teachers surpassed 10 mn for first time

UDISE+ 2024-25 shows India's teaching workforce crossed 10 million with women forming 54.2 per cent, even as enrolments fell to 246.95 million due to lower primary share

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The Union Education Ministry on Thursday said the total number of teachers in the country has crossed 10 million for the first time in any academic year, according to its Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for 2024–25. The figure includes teachers in both government and private schools.

 

The 2024–25 academic year also saw an increase in the representation of female teachers, with women now comprising 54.2 per cent of the total teaching workforce, compared to 46.9 per cent in 2014–15.

 

According to the ministry, a total of 5.14 million teachers have been recruited since 2014, of whom 61 per cent are female.

 

Officials indicated that the growing presence of female teachers has contributed to an uptick in girls’ enrolment, which stood at 48.3 per cent of all new enrolments in 2024–25, compared to 48.1 per cent in the previous year.

 

However, the report also showed a decline in total enrolments, from 251.79 million in 2022–23 to 246.95 million in 2024–25. Data suggest the fall is linked to a reduced share of admissions in primary classes (1 to 5), which dropped from 48.7 per cent in 2022–23 to 48 per cent in 2024–25.