NEW DELHI: Government school enrolment for children aged 6-14 in rural India has dropped significantly from 72.9% in 2022 to 66.8% in 2024, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2024, released on Tuesday. While overall enrolment for this age group remains high at 98.1%, the decline in government school enrolment suggests a shift back to private institutions post-pandemic. During the COVID-19 period, economic pressures led families to choose government schools, temporarily boosting enrolment. However, this trend has now reverted to pre-pandemic levels of around 66-67%.
The percentage of out-of-school adolescents aged 15-16 has continued to decrease, dropping from 13.1% in 2018 to 7.5% in 2024. Despite this, significant learning gaps remain, particularly in higher grades. For instance, only 45.8% of Class 8 students are able to perform basic arithmetic in 2024, with little improvement in recent years.
In the realm of digital skills, the report found that boys outperform girls across most states. However, states like Kerala and Karnataka show a positive deviation, where girls often match or even surpass boys in digital proficiency. The report also revealed a gender gap in digital access, with 36.2% of boys and 26.9% of girls aged 14-16 owning smartphones. Over 90% of households with young people own smartphones, and more than 80% of children aged 14-16 can use them, though only 57% use them for educational purposes.
Infrastructure remains a significant challenge, especially in states like Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland, where usable toilets and drinking water are scarce. In 2024, only 72% of schools had usable girls’ toilets (up from 66.4% in 2018), and 77.7% provided drinking water. Sports facilities have also seen minimal progress, with only 66.2% of schools having playgrounds, a slight drop from 66.5% in 2018. These figures highlight the ongoing need for investment in school infrastructure.
Despite these challenges, there has been progress in foundational learning, particularly for younger students. The proportion of Class 3 students in government schools who could read a Class 2-level text rose from 16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024. Arithmetic skills also improved, with 27.6% of Class 3 students able to solve a subtraction problem, up from 20.2% in 2022. These improvements are attributed to successful foundational literacy and numeracy programs, supported by teacher training and enhanced learning materials.
Pre-primary education has also seen notable progress, with enrolment among children aged 3-5 steadily increasing. States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Odisha report near-universal enrolment for this age group. The proportion of underage children enrolled in Class 1 has dropped from 25.6% in 2018 to 16.7% in 2024, reflecting better age-appropriate admissions.
Attendance rates in government schools have improved as well. Teacher attendance rose to 87.5% in 2024, up from 85.1% in 2018, and student attendance increased to 75.9%, up from 72.4%. Government primary schools in remote areas are also seeing progress, with 52.1% now having fewer than 60 students, indicating better outreach in sparsely populated regions.
Localized successes have been reported in states like Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, where government pre-primary school enrolment has surged. Additionally, digital literacy among children aged 14-16 has improved, with over 75% of them now capable of tasks like setting alarms, browsing for information, and sharing content on messaging platforms.
While the report highlights these positive developments, it underscores the need to address ongoing challenges, such as learning gaps in higher grades, gender inequality in digital access, and inadequate infrastructure. Continued efforts to tackle these issues will be essential for ensuring equitable, quality education in rural India.
