School Enrolment Falls By 1.55 Crore In Three Years, From 26.5 Crore To 23.2 Crore: TISS | Education and Career News
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According to the report, 35% of surveyed schools reported acute shortages of teachers in mathematics and science, while 31% reported shortages of English teachers.
The survey covered 499 schools across 10 states. (File/Representative image)
School enrolment in India fell by 1.55 crore between 2021-22 and 2024-25, declining from 26.5 crore to 23.2 crore, according to the State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education for India (SoTTTER) 2025 report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
The decline in enrolment was highlighted as one of the major shifts in India’s school education landscape in the latest edition of the biennial report. At the same time, the country’s teaching workforce increased by around six lakh, resulting in an improvement in the average student-teacher ratio, the report said.
The enrolment figures point to a significant change in the scale of India’s school education system over the three-year period. However, the decline in the number of students has not translated into an across-the-board easing of staffing pressures. Schools surveyed by TISS continue to report shortages in key subjects.
According to the report, 35% of surveyed schools reported acute shortages of teachers in mathematics and science, while 31% reported shortages of English teachers. Around 30% reported shortages of teachers in regional languages. The survey covered 499 schools across 10 states.
The report also flagged a mismatch between teachers’ academic qualifications and the subjects they teach. Only 51% of mathematics teachers surveyed had studied mathematics at the undergraduate level, indicating gaps in subject-specific preparation.
The changing enrolment and teacher numbers have also altered the composition of India’s teaching workforce. Women now account for 54% of the teaching workforce, up from 51% in the previous SoTTTER report. However, the report found a marked urban-rural gap: women account for 67% of teachers in urban areas compared with 47% in rural schools.
Despite the increase in the overall teaching workforce, the report found that nearly half of government primary schools operated as multi-grade classrooms in 2025, where a single teacher teaches students from multiple grades. This was higher than the 38% recorded in 2023.
The SoTTTER 2025 report draws on national datasets including UDISE+ 2024-25 and the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2024-25, along with primary field data from schools across the 10 states. The report’s full edition is scheduled to be officially released in October.
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Ask News18School enrollment in India decreased by 1.55 crore students, falling from 26.5 crore to 23.2 crore, between 2021-22 and 2024-25, as reported by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in its State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education for India (SoTTTER) 2025 report.
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