Datanomics: A changing educational landscape for India's schools

As many as 50.9 per cent of teachers are still employed in the government sector in FY25

Teachers’ Day, celebrated every year on September 5, presents an opportunity to reflect on the state of India’s schools and those who keep them running. The latest data shows three clear patterns: The percentage share of teachers has been increasing in private schools, student enrolments are steadily falling, and the pupil-teacher ratio lags behind most global benchmarks despite some improvements. 

Teacher employment trends

 

A little more than half of Indian teachers were still employed in the government sector in 2024-25 (FY25). The private sector is the second-largest employer, with its share nearing 40 per cent. While the total number of teachers increased from 9.69 million in FY20 to 10.12 million in FY25, most of this rise came from private schools. 

 

Declining number of school-going students

 

Student enrolments fell to 247 million in FY25 from 265 million in FY20. The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a drop in FY21, and the past three years have seen further slippage, pointing to decline in the total fertility rate, which had fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 in 2019-21 (2.0), and down to 1.9 in 2023 

 

India yet to catch up with advanced countries

 

The pupil-teacher ratio was higher in India than most developed countries in 2022. India’s primary-level ratio stood at 23 — far higher than countries like the US and China. More recent UDISE+ data, however, offers some relief: In FY25, the ratio improved to 20. at the primary level. 

Source: UDISE+, OECD