Moa Jamir
Dimapur | January 23
Over the past decade, student enrolments in schools across Nagaland have declined significantly by more than 1 lakh, highlighted analysis of Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data.
The number of teachers, however, increased during the same period, rising from 30,772 in 2015-16 to 32,602 in 2023-24. Between the academic years 2015-16 and 2023-24, student enrolments decreased by over 21%, falling from 530,177 to 412,975—a reduction of 117,202 in absolute terms. Notably, there was only one year, 2018-19, when enrolment recorded a marginal increase.
The most significant decline occurred in 2016-17, with student numbers dropping by 83,670. This was followed by a decline of 28,141 during 2022-23. However, the latest UDISE+ 2023-24 data reflected that the decrease between 2022-23 and 2023-24 was less pronounced, falling from 415,655 to 412,975, a reduction of 2680.
Further, the decline in girls’ enrolment was higher, decreasing from 206,698 in 2022-23 to 204,966 in 2023-24, a drop of 1,732. During the same period, the number of boys enrolled fell by 948, from 208,957 to 208,009.
Student enrolments, from Pre-primary to Higher Secondary levels, are captured in the UDISE+ data.
Nationally, school enrolments showed a significant decline of over 37 lakh, falling from 25.17 crore in 2022-23 to 24.80 crore in 2023-24. The ‘Average Enrolments Per School’ was 152 in Nagaland and 169 nationally.
Contributing factors
Further analysis indicated that the decrease was primarily driven by lower enrolments at the Pre-primary, Primary, and Upper Primary levels.
Primary-level enrolment saw a substantial decline of 76,751, falling from 238,080 in 2015-16 to 161,329 in 2023-24. Similarly, enrolment at the Upper Primary level decreased from 111,616 to 88,089, while Pre-primary enrolment fell from 90,064 to 72,292—a drop of 17,772. Secondary-level enrolment also saw a reduction from 59,215 in 2015-16 to 53,174 in 2023-24.
However, there was a positive trend in enrolment at the Higher Secondary level, which increased from 31,202 in 2015-16 to 38,091 in 2023-24.
The combined enrolment in the Secondary and Higher Secondary levels also saw a rise, from 88,926 in 2022-23 to 91,265 in 2023-24.
Meanwhile, during the last 10 years, the number of schools in Nagaland catering to up to Higher Secondary level decreased marginally by 101, from 2826 in 2015-16 to 2725 in 2023-24.
The decrease was due to a fall in government schools from 2101 to 1952. Privately managed schools, however, increased from 725 to 772 during the same period, while one school management is designated as ‘Others’. Between 2023 and 2024, 2 government schools closed while private schools increased from 762 to 772.
Preference for Govt schools waning
Overall, in terms of management, the government is still the dominant player, operating 71.63% of schools in 2023-24, down from 74.3% a decade ago.
However, as per the UDISE+ 2023-24, while the government manages most schools, preference is waning.
In 2023-24, student enrolment in private recognised schools stood at 271,019, or 65.63% of the total enrolment, compared to 34.35% (141,852) in government schools. A total of 104 students were registered in one school designated as ‘Others.’
A decade ago, the distribution was more balanced, with 46% of students in government schools and 54% in private schools.
In fact, a significant part of the reduction of 117,202 students between 2015-16 and 2023-24 was witnessed in government schools, which saw a decrease of 101,952, from 243,804 to 141,852.
For private schools, the decrease was relatively marginal at 15,354, from 286,373 to 271,019. The total enrolment in private schools increased from 259,392 in 2022-23.
Teachers’ count rise
Meanwhile, the 2015-2024 period saw a slight rise in the number of teachers, from 30,772 to 32,602. This was driven by an increase in private teachers, from 11,393 to 13,966, although the number in government schools decreased from 19,379 to 18,627. In 2023-24, 9 teachers in Nagaland were in schools designated as ‘Others.’
Accordingly, the Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Nagaland stood at 13, against the All-India average of 25. It was highest at the Higher Secondary level, at 16, and lowest at the Upper Primary (6-8) level, at 7. Nagaland’s ‘Average Teachers Per School’ was 7, while nationally it was 12.
This is the first report in a series titled ‘Nagaland’s UDISE+ Report Card.’
