Vital Stats

Overview of education sector in India

The Ministry of Human Resource Development released a draft National Education Policy in July 2016. In this context,
we present some data on education indicators such as enrolment of students, drop-out rates, availability of teachers and
share of government and private schools.

Over the years enrolment in class 6 and above is improving

120%

GER across different education levels (in %)

100%

Gross enrolment in classes 1-5 reduced from 114% in

2008-09 to 99% in 2013-14. The above-100%
enrolment rate in 2008-09 indicates that students
enrolled in classes 1-5 included those younger than six
or older than 10 years.

In 2013-14, enrolment in classes 1-5 was about 100%,

which signals a more age appropriate (six to 10 years)
class composition

However, in higher classes, enrolment declined.

80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Class 1-5

Class 6-8

Class 9-10 Class 11-12

2008-09

Higher
Education

2013-14

Note: Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is the student enrolment as a

proportion of the corresponding eligible age group in a given year.

Enrolment similar to developed countries in classes 1-5, but lower at senior levels
140%
120%

GER across education levels: India vs other countries

(2012)

Indias enrolment rate in primary education is

comparable to that of developed countries. However,
India falls behind these countries after class 6.

For example, enrolment in classes 6-8 is 82% in India

compared to 100% in countries such as China,
Germany, UK, and USA.

In higher education, Indias enrolment rate stands at

about 21% compared to about 62% in UK and
Germany, and 95% in USA. Chinas enrolment rate in
higher education at 27% is slightly higher than Indias.

100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Class 1-5
India

Class 6-8
China

Class 9-12

Germany

Russia

Higher Education
UK

USA

90% of students transition from class 5 to class 6, but only 67% from class 10 to 11
Proportion of students that transition between classes (2013-14)
100%

Transition rates indicate the proportion of students who

are able to advance to a higher class. A transition rate
below 100% indicates that the students are held back
or have dropped out of school.

Enrolment rate is about 74% for students in class 10.

Of these, 67% students are able to transition from class
10 to class 11. Note that transition rate from class 5 to
class 6 is 90%.

80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Class 5 to 6

Class 8 to 9

Class 10 to 11

Note: Transition rate is the proportion of students advancing from one

class to another.

Roopal Suhag
roopal@prsindia.org

Nivedita Rao
nivedita@prsindia.org

August 11, 2016

PRS Legislative Research Institute for Policy Research Studies

3rd Floor, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya 212, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg New Delhi 110002
Tel: (011) 2323 4801-02, 4343 4035-36
www.prsindia.org

Vital Stats: Overview of education sector in India

PRS Legislative Research

More ST and SC students in class 1-8 drop-out of school

Drop-out rate in elementary education

70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

2008-09
Total

2013-14

Schedule Caste

Schedule Tribe

Note: Drop-out rate is the proportion of students who drop-out from a

given grade or level of education in a given school year.

The proportion of students between classes 1-8 who

dropped out of school in 2013-14 was 36%.
However, for the ST student population, the drop-out
rate was 48%, and for SC students, 39%.

The drop-out rates for all groups declined between

2008-09 and 2013-14.

In 2013-14, the enrolment of girls (97%) was higher

than that of boys (93%), while their drop-out rate
(33%) is lower than that of boys (39%). This implies
that girls who enter the system between classes 1-8,
are more likely to complete elementary education.

Most states have at least 1 teacher for 30 students in classes 9-12

80

Pupil-Teacher ratio in class 9-12 (2014-15)

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

AN AP AR AS BR CH CG DH DD DL GA GJ HR HP JK JH KA KL LD MP MH MN ML MZ NL OR PY PB RJ SK TN TS TR UP UK WB
Pupil-Teacher ratio in government schools

Recommended Pupil-Teacher ratio

Note: Pupil - teacher ratio is the average number of pupils (students) per teacher at a specific level of education in a given schoolyear.

The recommended pupil-teacher ratio under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan for classes 9-12 is 30:1.
(One teacher for 30 students). A higher ratio means there are more students per teacher.

Seven states had a pupil-teacher ratio above the recommended level, including Jharkhand (68:1), Bihar (57:1),
Chhattisgarh (45:1), Uttar Pradesh (41:1), Madhya Pradesh (36:1), Gujarat (34:1) and Tripura (33:1).

Till class 12 students attend public schools; college students attend private colleges
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Distribution of students by type of institution attended

Proportion of students in elementary schools

by school type
2008-09

2014-15
Class 1-5

Class 6-8

Class 9-12

Government

Higher
Diploma and
education certificate

Private

0%

20%

40%

Government

60%

80%

100%

Private

While more students go to government schools than private ones, the trend is reversed in higher education.

Between 2008-09 and 2014-15, the proportion of students in classes 1-8 in government schools declined from 71% to
62%, implying an increasing preference for private schools.

Sources: School Education in India 2014-15, District Information System for Education; Statistics of Higher and Technical Education 2012; National
Facts and Figures, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan; Key Indicators of Social Consumption in India Education, NSS 71 st Round; PRS.
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August 11, 2016

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