Patna: School education in the state has witnessed a significant decline in student enrolment in 2025-26 compared with 2024-25, according to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for 2025-26 released on Tuesday. The average student enrolment per school fell from 224 in 2024-25 to 217 in 2025-26.While the dropout rate at the primary level declined marginally from 2.9% to 2.5%, it rose sharply at the secondary level from 6.9% in 2024-25 to 9% in 2025-26. The report points to a continuing decline in overall enrolment, marked by steep long-term reductions in elementary-level enrolment and stagnant retention at the secondary stage.Although the number of schools increased from 94,339 to 95,285 and the number of teachers rose from 7.07 lakh to 7.28 lakh during the period, student retention at higher levels remains low. High dropout rates continue to hinder progression to the upper-secondary stage. The report also highlights an acute shortage of secondary and higher-secondary schools relative to the student population, despite robust access to primary education.The report, however, notes some positive trends. The pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) improved from 30 to 28 within a year, while the average number of teachers per school increased from seven to eight. No school in the state was reported to have zero enrolment. Single-teacher and zero-enrolment schools have generally declined across Bihar and the country, reducing instructional gaps.However, the number of single-teacher schools increased to 2,006 in 2025-26 from 1,865 in 2024-25. These schools catered to 1.62 lakh students in 2025-26, compared with 1.75 lakh students the previous year.Bihar’s schools have also aligned with national trends in improving basic infrastructure, recording higher levels of electricity connectivity, access to safe drinking water and functioning girls’ toilets. Computer access in schools rose from 64.7% to 69.9%.Reacting to the state’s performance in primary and secondary education, former dean of education at Patna University, Khagendra Kumar, said that although improvements had been registered in some areas, much more needs to be done for Bihar to attain, if not exceed, national standards.
