NEW DELHI: The number of teachers in the country’s schools has crossed the one-crore mark. The achievement was recorded during the fiscal 2024-2025, according to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2024-25 report, which the Ministry of Education released on Thursday.
“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 report said.
The numbers have steadily increased since 2022-23 and the reporting year. There was a 6.7% increase in the number of teachers during the reporting year compared to 2022-23.
The academic year 2024–25 has also seen a rise in the representation of female teachers, with women now comprising 54.2% of the total teaching workforce. “Female representation in schools has shown a positive uptick in the academic year 2024–25, with girls’ enrollment reaching 48.3%, up from 48.1% in the previous year.
Although modest, this improvement reflects ongoing efforts to promote gender equity in education and ensure greater access and participation for girls across all levels,” it said. The Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) at the Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary levels is now reported as 10, 13, 17, and 21, respectively, all significantly improved ratios qua NEP’s recommended ratio of 1:30.
Dropout rates reduced notably across the Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary levels as compared to 2022-23 and 2023-24. At the Preparatory stage, the rate declined from 3.7% to 2.3%, at the Middle stage from 5.2% to 3.5%, and at the Secondary stage from 10.9% to 8.2% compared to the previous year.
Retention rates also improved, increasing from 98.0% to 98.9% at the Foundational level, from 85.4% to 92.4% at the Preparatory level, from 78.0% to 82.8% at the Middle level, and from 45.6% to 47.2% at the Secondary level.
The transition rate from Foundational to Preparatory increased from 98.1% to 98.6%, from Preparatory to Middle rose from 88.8% to 92.2%, and from Middle to Secondary improved from 83.3% to 86.6%.
The report noted that governmental interventions led to a 38% decline in the number of zero-enrolment schools, while single-teacher schools decreased by around 6%. Access to internet facilities in schools rose considerably in the academic year 2024–25. The percentage of schools with internet connectivity increased from 53.9% in the previous year to 63.5%.
“Today, 93.6% of schools are powered with electricity, 97.3% have girls’ toilets, and 96.2% have boys’ toilets—ensuring dignity and hygiene for all students. Handwashing facilities are now available in 95.9% of schools, and access to safe drinking water has reached an impressive 99.3%.