The latest UDISE+ 2025-26 report released by the Union Ministry of Education shows a slight improvement in girls’ enrolment in schools across India. While female representation among students has increased, the growth remains modest, rising by just 0.1 percentage point compared to the previous academic year.
According to the report, girls now account for 48.4 per cent of total school enrolment in 2025-26, up from 48.3 per cent in 2024-25. The data suggests that the pace of improvement has remained slow over the past few years.
Girls’ enrolment stood at 48.0 per cent in 2022-23, increased to 48.1 per cent in 2023-24, rose to 48.3 per cent in 2024-25, and has now reached 48.4 per cent in the latest academic year.
Despite the gradual increase, the Ministry of Education said the trend reflects continued efforts to improve gender equity in school education and ensure better access and participation for girls across different levels of schooling.
More Women Joining the Teaching Workforce
The report also highlights a steady rise in the number of female teachers. Women now make up 54.9 per cent of the country’s school teaching workforce, marking an increase of nearly five percentage points over the last four academic years.
Female teachers accounted for 52.3 per cent of the workforce in 2022-23, which increased to 53.3 per cent in 2023-24 and 54.2 per cent in 2024-25, before reaching 54.9 per cent in 2025-26.
According to the report, the growing presence of women teachers is a positive sign for the education sector, as it helps create more inclusive, supportive and gender-sensitive learning environments for students.
Dropout Rates Continue to Decline
Apart from improvements in gender representation, the UDISE+ 2025-26 report also points to a decline in school dropout rates, particularly at the preparatory and secondary levels, compared to previous years.
The Union Ministry of Education released the UDISE+ 2025-26 report on July 7, 2026, providing a comprehensive overview of enrolment, teachers, infrastructure and other key indicators of school education across the country.
