UDISE+ Report 2025–26 Context: The Union Ministry of Education released the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26 report, highlighting improvements in teacher strength, student retention, digital infrastructure and school facilities, while dropout rates continued to decline across key stages of school education. Key Highlights Increase in Teacher Strength Total teachers increased from 94.83 lakh (2022–23) to 1.03 crore (2025–26). This is an 8.3% increase over the period. Improvement in Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) Foundational Level: 10:1 Preparatory Level: 12:1 Middle Level: 17:1 Secondary Level: 21:1 All are better than the NEP-recommended ratio of 30:1. Decline in Dropout Rates Preparatory Level: Reduced from 2.3% to 1.8%. Secondary Level: Reduced from 8.2% to 7%. Indicates improved student retention. Higher Student Retention Middle Level: Retention increased to 83.7%. Secondary Level: Retention increased to 51.9%. Improvement linked to better access to secondary schools. Rise in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) Secondary GER increased from 68.5% to 71.7%. Shows greater participation in school education. Better Student Transition Rates Foundational → Preparatory: 99.2% Preparatory → Middle: 93.8% Middle → Secondary: 88.3% Reflects smoother progression between school stages. Fewer Single-Teacher and Zero-Enrolment Schools Single-teacher schools: Reduced to 1,00,843 (around 3% decline). Zero-enrolment schools: Reduced by 29% to 5,663. Improvement in Digital Infrastructure Schools with computers: Increased from 64.7% to 69.9%. Schools with internet: Increased from 63.5% to 67.4%. Better Basic School Infrastructure Electricity: 95% of schools. Drinking Water: 99.5%. Girls’ Toilets: 98.5%. Boys’ Toilets: 97.2%. Handwashing Facilities: 96.9%. Libraries: 90.5%. Ramps with Handrails: 58.2% for students with disabilities. Progress in Gender Equality Women teachers: Increased from 54.2% to 54.9% of the teaching workforce. Girls’ enrolment: Increased to 48.4%, showing continued progress towards gender parity.
