Session 3: Re-envisioning Secondary Education to achieve 100% GER by 2030
Background
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Para 3.1 mentions that “It will be a top priority to bring these children back into the educational fold as early as possible, and to prevent further students from dropping out, with a goal to achieve 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio in preschool to secondary level by 2030.” This ambitious goal goes beyond simply providing access; it requires a holistic re-envisioning of the entire secondary schooling landscape. Fundamental reforms are needed across curriculum design, pedagogical practices, teacher development, infrastructure, and governance, all coupled with targeted interventions to ensure equity and inclusion for every child. Ultimately, this paradigm shift aims to cultivate a flexible, multidisciplinary, and future-ready education system that not only brings all children into the fold but also equips them with the 21st Century Skills essential for national development in a rapidly changing world.
Bharat has already made substantial strides in achieving near universal access to elementary education, rigorously pursuing NEP 2020's objective of 100% GER from pre-school through secondary levels. These efforts and achievements have been supported by sustained government initiatives such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, which were subsumed under the Samagra Shiksha scheme in 2018 to provide an integrated framework for school education from pre-primary to senior secondary. This is evidenced by a Gross Access Ratio (GAR) of 97.83% for primary, 96.57% for upper primary, 95.35% for secondary, and 94.97% for higher secondary.
Despite these significant access achievements, challenges persist. The current Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) stands at 77.7% for the Foundational Stage, 96.5% for the Preparatory Stage, 89.5% for the Middle Stage, and a notably lower 66.5% for the Secondary Stage. A critical area for improvement is the Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) that reflects age-appropriate grade enrolment, which is currently 74.0% for Foundational, 71.4% for Preparatory, 64.4% for Middle, and only 50.9% for the Secondary Stage. Improving NER is crucial because age-appropriate admissions are vital for optimizing learning outcomes; they ensure children are developmentally ready for the curriculum, leading to more effective instruction and significantly reducing learning difficulties, ultimately enhancing educational success.
Further compounding these challenges, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (2023-24) reveals 1.37 crore out-of-school children in the 6 to 17 years age group. Additionally, UDISE+ data indicates concerning dropout rates: 3.7% at the Foundational, 5.2% at the Preparatory, and 10.9% at the Secondary stage. A significant contributing factor to this dropout is a fragmented school system, which leads to approximately 1.07 crore students leaving school due to the unavailability of admission at middle and higher levels or distance to nearest available school.
Consequently, a top priority should be to bring these children back into the educational fold as early as possible and to prevent any further students from dropping out. In alignment with NEP 2020, a concerted national effort will ensure universal access and provide opportunities for all children in the country to obtain quality holistic education—including skill education—from pre-school to Grade 12.
Key Recommendations of NEP 2020:
- To achieve 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio in school education by 2030 through two overall initiatives:
- To provide effective and sufficient infrastructure so that all students have access to safe and engaging school education at all levels from pre-primary school to Grade 12.
- To achieve universal participation in school by carefully tracking students, as well as their learning levels, in order to ensure that they (a) are enrolled in and attending school, and (b) have suitable opportunities to catch up and re-enter school in case they have fallen behind or dropped out.
- To facilitate learning for all students, with special emphasis on Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), the scope of school education will be broadened to facilitate multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes.
- Make it easier to build schools, to encourage local variations, focusing more on outputs than inputs.
- Encouraging community, volunteer, alumni participation in enhancing learning.
What has India achieved till now:
Over the past decade, substantial progress has been made in saturating schooling facilities through centrally sponsored schemes like Samagra Shiksha and various initiatives at the State and UT level. Efforts are underway to provide essential amenities in government schools. At present, 92-98% saturation has been achieved in basic Infrastructure facilities like Drinking Water, Toilets, Library, Handwash, etc. The focus is on strengthening existing schools, facilitating new openings, and ensuring critical infrastructure, including toilets, drinking water, ramps, handrails, boundary walls, adequate classrooms, etc.
Despite significant advancements in building robust infrastructure at the secondary level, UDISE+ data indicates persistent gaps in facility saturation. To bridge this, a targeted outlay of ₹5,989.91 crores has been sanctioned to equip 91,456 Secondary/Senior Secondary schools with essential ICT laboratories, Smart Classrooms, and Science laboratories. Looking ahead, in line with the Budget 2025 announcement, 50,000 new Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) are set to be established in government schools over the next five years, aiming to cultivate curiosity, innovation, and a scientific temper. Furthermore, the BharatNet project will provide broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools in rural areas.
To facilitate learning for all students, the scope of school education has been broadened to include multiple pathways, encompassing both formal and non-formal education modes. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Programmes are being implemented by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and State Open Schools for meeting the learning needs of young people in India who are not able to attend a physical school.
Additionally, government and state initiatives significantly expand educational access for Socio-Economic Disadvantaged Groups. The Samagra Shiksha scheme significantly expands educational access beyond traditional schooling by providing crucial residential facilities. This includes Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya (NSCBAV), which are vital for children from Socio-Economic Disadvantaged Groups. Currently, 5138 KGBVs are enrolling 7,11,505 students, and 1,137 NSCBAVs accommodate 1,15,193 students. A decision has also been taken to saturate all KGBVs with ICT and Smart Classrooms.
In a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Samagra Shiksha has significantly expanded hostel facilities for tribal students, sanctioning 492 hostels across 17 states under the PM JANMAN scheme and an additional 692 hostels across 23 states under the DAJGUA scheme.
All these efforts are geared towards re-envisioning Secondary Education, with the overarching goal of achieving 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2030 up to Class XII.
Key Discussion Points:
- Increasing Education Investment: Ensure adequate and sustained public investment in the education sector, aligning with targets such as 6% of GDP.
- Enhancing Access and Infrastructure: Plan for sufficient infrastructure at the secondary level, through a comprehensive analysis of intake capacity gaps at school, block, and district levels.
- School availability and Continuity: Simplify the existing ten parallel school categories to reduce admissions-related disruption and improve student transitions.
- Strengthen Identification & Re-enrolment: Enhance existing efforts like house-to-house enumeration, based on UDISE+ data, APAAR ID, etc
- Strengthening of NIOS/SIOS to facilitate multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes.
- Equity and Inclusion: Targeted support (scholarships, incentives) for disadvantaged groups, girls, and CWSN.
- Strengthening Teacher Capacity and Support: Address Teacher and Teacher Educator Vacancies and capacity gaps.
- Expanding and Integrating Skill Education programs into mainstream education from the middle school stage, making them an integral part of the curriculum.
- Leverage AI for Pedagogical Enhancement: Collaborative effort to determine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be effectively leveraged to support and improve pedagogical practices.
- Effective Governance and Community Engagement: decentralized planning, data driven decision making and fostering Public-Private Partnership for infrastructure and Innovation.
