Over 1.1 million children out of school in 2024-25: Education ministry
Data said Uttar Pradesh contributes the most with 784,228 OoSC children, followed by Jharkhand with 65,070 and Assam with 63,848
New Delhi: Over 1.1 million children across India have been identified as ‘Out of School’ (OoSC) for the 2024-25 academic year, said the union education ministry in a written response to a question raised in the Lok Sabha by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) lawmaker Sribharat Mathukumilli.
The lawmaker had enquired about the extent of non-enrollment at the primary, secondary, and senior secondary levels.
Union minister of state for education Jayant Chaudhary said that states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Assam reported high numbers among the total 1,170,404 children who remain out of school.
“Uttar Pradesh contributes the most with 784,228 OoSC children, followed by Jharkhand with 65,070 and Assam with 63,848,” he said.
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On the other hand, states with the lowest numbers include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which reported two OoSC children, followed by Puducherry with four and Sikkim with 74. No children have been reported out of school in Ladakh and Lakshadweep.
According to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) portal, managed by the union education ministry, a total of 26,52,35,830 children were enrolled in schools during the 2021-22 academic year. Of these, 12,73,35,252 were girls and 13,79,00,578 were boys. That year, India reported 14,89,115 schools and 10,55,283 teachers.