India Achieves Zero Primary Dropout Rate in Jharkhand

Jharkhand recorded a primary dropout rate of 0% in 2024-25, compared with 6.41% in 2014-15, in education data linked to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2024-25 and a NITI Aayog report released on 8 May 2026. The state also reported a decline in upper primary dropout rate from 7.42% to 1.7% and in secondary dropout rate from 23.2% to 3.5% between 2014-15 and 2024-25.

Primary Education and Dropout Rate

Dropout rate is the proportion of students who leave a school stage before completion of that level. In India, primary education generally covers Classes I to V, while upper primary covers Classes VI to VIII and secondary covers Classes IX to X. UDISE+ is the national school education database used for school-level indicators such as enrolment, teachers, infrastructure, and dropout rates. The 2024-25 data placed Jharkhand at zero primary dropout for both boys and girls, after a rate of more than 11% in 2022-23.

Gross Enrolment Ratio and School Retention

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is the total enrolment in a level of education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population in the official age group for that level. Jharkhand’s primary GER declined from 109.2% in 2014-15 to 92.5% in 2024-25, while the secondary GER rose from 66.05% to 72% in the same period. GER can exceed 100% when students outside the official age group are enrolled in a level of education. GER is used in India by the Ministry of Education and in school statistics compiled through UDISE+.

School Education Indicators in Jharkhand

As of September 2023, about 86,000 children were still out of school in Jharkhand. A statewide household survey was planned from 15 November 2025 to 10 January 2026 to identify out-of-school children and support a target of zero dropouts across villages and wards. Jharkhand also had 99,565 teaching vacancies in 2025-26, including 80,341 vacancies at the elementary level. The state had 9,172 schools run by a single teacher in 2025-26.

Important Facts for Exams

• UDISE+ stands for Unified District Information System for Education Plus and is used for school education statistics in India.
• NITI Aayog is the Government of India’s policy think tank established in 2015.
• Primary education in India generally covers Classes I to V under the school education structure.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio is a standard indicator used to measure participation in a level of education.

Jharkhand ranked fourth nationally in secondary dropout reduction in 2024-25. The state’s education data for 2024-25 also recorded zero primary dropout for both boys and girls.