Teacher strength in India crosses 10 mn in 2024-25, dropout rate declines

India's teacher strength rose past 10 million in 2024-25, with pupil-teacher ratios improving and dropout rates falling across preparatory, middle and secondary levels

The Ministry of Education on Thursday said the number of teachers crossed the 10 million mark in India during 2024-25, marking a 6.7 per cent rise compared to 2022-23.

 

"For the first time in any academic year, since the beginning of the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), the total number of teachers has crossed the 1 crore mark in 2024–25. The increase in teacher numbers is a critical step toward improving student-teacher ratios, ensuring quality education, and addressing regional disparities in teacher availability," the ministry said in the UDISE+ 2024-25 report.

 

The Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) also improved to 10 at the foundational stage, 13 at the preparatory level, 17 in middle grades and 21 at the secondary stage, against the National Education Policy’s (NEP) recommended 30:1, the ministry added. 

 

 

Dropout rates show improvement 

The report also highlighted a fall in dropout rates at the preparatory, middle and secondary stages. Preparatory level dropouts declined to 2.3 per cent from 3.7 per cent last year, middle-level to 3.5 per cent from 5.2 per cent, and secondary to 8.2 per cent from 10.9 per cent.

 

Student retention rises across stages 

Student retention improved across all levels, rising to 98.9 per cent at the foundational stage, 92.4 per cent at the preparatory level, 82.8 per cent at the middle level and 47.2 per cent at the secondary level.

 

"One of the key contributing factors to this improvement, particularly at the secondary level, is the increase in the number of schools offering secondary education. This expansion has enhanced accessibility and encouraged continued enrolment. Overall, the rising retention rates are a strong indicator of progress in the education system and reflect the impact of targeted interventions," the ministry said. 

Enrolment ratio gets better

 

The ministry also stated that the gross enrolment ratios (GER) increased to 90.3 per cent at the middle school level and 68.5 per cent at the secondary school stage. Meanwhile, the transition rate also improved, with 98.6 per cent of students moving from foundational to preparatory stages, 92.2 per cent from preparatory to middle, and 86.6 per cent from middle to secondary.

 

The ministry added that the number of single-teacher schools fell to 1.04 lakh in 2024–25, a decline of about 6 per cent from the previous year. Schools with zero enrolment also dropped to 7,993, down by around 38 per cent.

 

Shift towards private education

 

While these statistics paint a positive picture of education in India, a separate survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) indicates that many school children are leaving state-run schools in favour of private institutions for better quality education.

 

Between April and June 2025, 58.9 per cent of higher secondary students in rural areas were enrolled in government schools, down from 68 per cent in 2017–18. In urban areas, the share also declined, with 36.4 per cent of students attending government schools at the higher secondary level, compared to 38.9 per cent in 2017–18.

 

The survey also highlighted a rise in students taking private coaching, with 30.7 per cent in urban areas and 25.5 per cent in rural areas reporting enrolment for private classes during the current academic year.