Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 15
Student enrolment in schools across Nagaland recorded a marginal increase in 2024–25, rising to 4,14,421 from 4,12,975 in 2023–24, according to official data. The average enrolment per school, however, slipped to 151 from 152.
An analysis of the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) shows that despite the uptick, enrolment has fallen by over one lakh in the last decade. The figure dropped from 5,30,177 in 2015–16 to 4,14,421 in 2024–25, a reduction of more than 21 per cent.
During the same period, the number of teachers rose from 30,772 to 32,602 (as of 2023–24), while the number of schools declined from 2,826 in 2015–16 to 2,750 in 2024–25.
The steepest annual fall in enrolment was recorded in 2016–17 at 83,670 students, followed by 28,141 in 2022–23. The decline in 2023–24 was comparatively smaller at 2,680, while 2024–25 reflected a slight recovery.
Between 2022–23 and 2023–24, girls’ enrolment fell by 1,732 and boys’ enrolment by 948.
Nationally, enrolment in schools fell by more than 37 lakh, from 25.17 crore in 2022–23 to 24.80 crore in 2023–24. The national average enrolment per school was 169, compared to 151 in Nagaland.
The reduction in Nagaland has been most pronounced at the lower levels of schooling. Pre-primary enrolment fell from 90,064 in 2015–16 to 74,595 in 2024–25, Primary from 2,38,080 to 1,62,251, and Upper Primary from 1,11,616 to 86,933 over the same period.
Enrolment at the Secondary level dropped from 59,215 in 2015–16 to 53,174 in 2023–24, while Higher Secondary showed an increase from 31,202 to 39,709 over the decade. The combined Secondary and Higher Secondary enrolment stood at 90,642 in 2024–25, slightly lower than 91,265 in 2023–24.
Despite running a majority of schools, the government’s share of enrolment has steadily dropped. In 2024–25, 2,77,048 students (66.9 pc) were in private schools, while government schools accounted for 1,37,373 (33.1 pc). A small number of 104 students were enrolled in schools categorised as “Others.”
A decade ago, government schools had 46 per cent of total enrolments, compared to 54 per cent in private schools. Since then, government schools have lost 1,01,952 students, while private schools registered only a marginal decline of 15,354, with enrolment rebounding in recent years.
