New Delhi: Data from Economic Survey of Delhi 2025-26 shows a clear, step-by-step decline in school attendance as students move up the education ladder.Experts say data over the past decade indicates that while access to schooling and initial entry into the education system have steadily improved in the capital, student retention remains the biggest challenge.The most significant drop occurs between primary and upper primary levels, suggesting that early adolescence is a critical breaking point. The decline continues steadily thereafter, indicating cumulative barriers rather than a single-point failure. By the time students reach the higher education level, less than a quarter remain in the system, highlighting a major gap in progression.According to experts, a decline in net attendance ratio (NAR) largely indicates that students are gradually leaving the education system, though not always immediately or permanently. It reflects a mix of actual dropouts, irregular attendance and delayed progression where students fall out of the appropriate age-grade level.In this data, the steady fall from primary to higher levels suggests that a significant number of students discontinue schooling over time, with the sharp drop at higher levels pointing to limited continuation into further education.Compared with the national average, Delhi performs better at every level, yet the pattern of decline is almost identical. This suggests that the issue is not unique to the city but reflects broader structural challenges in the education system. Even in a relatively better-performing region, sustaining participation beyond elementary education remains difficult.“Govt needs to closely track these children and ensure they complete their education. Many remain absent or eventually drop out altogether, often taking up low-paying work or facing health and financial constraints. These cases require proactive intervention,” said education activist Ashok Agarwal.According to data based on 75th National Sample Survey, at the primary level, Delhi’s NAR is very high at 89.8%, indicating that access to basic schooling is nearly universal. However, this strong base begins to narrow quickly, dropping to 73.1% at upper primary, 62.4% at secondary and further to 54% at higher secondary. The sharpest fall is seen beyond schooling, where attendance at the post-higher secondary level plunges to just 23.4%. According to experts, it has created a classic pyramid structure, which is wide at the base, but tapers steeply at higher levels.Experts say this trend is driven by a mix of economic, social and institutional factors. “At the upper primary stage, increased domestic responsibilities, especially for girls, along with safety concerns and lack of supportive infrastructure, often lead to dropouts. As students move into secondary levels, economic pressures become more prominent, with many, particularly boys, leaving school to enter the workforce or support family income,” said Agarwal.He added, “At higher secondary and post-secondary stages, the reasons shift towards cost of education, academic pressure, and uncertain returns, making continued education less attractive or feasible”.Another key issue, the experts point out, is the weak transition between school stages. While policies have successfully ensured enrolment at the primary level, the system struggles to keep students engaged and supported through adolescence and beyond. Limited access to quality higher education, lack of vocational pathways and inadequate career guidance further contribute to the steep drop after secondary schooling.Overall, the numbers suggest Delhi has addressed the problem of getting children into school but keeping them there and ensuring they progress remains the central challenge. The data underlines the need for targeted interventions focused on retention, smoother transitions and making education more relevant and economically viable at higher levels.In education statistics, net enrolment ratio (NER) and NAR are used to assess how well a system reaches children of the official school-going age. The former measures how many of these children are enrolled, capturing access to schooling, but it does not reflect whether they attend classes. A high NER indicates strong enrolment, while a low one points to gaps like exclusion or delayed entry. NAR, on the other hand, measures how many children are attending school, offering a more realistic picture of participation by accounting for absenteeism.According to the latest data, NER across school education levels indicates near-universal participation at the foundational and elementary stages. In 2023-24 and 2024-25, primary and upper primary NERs in Delhi remained close to saturation (roughly 95%-100%). However, a gradual decline is observed at higher levels as NER drops to around 77%-82% at secondary level and further to about 63%-65% at higher secondary level in these years, indicating challenges in student retention as education progresses.“If NER is high but NAR is low, it suggests that while children are being enrolled, they are not consistently attending school, indicating deeper structural or social challenges. On the other hand, if both NER and NAR are high, it reflects not only good access but also active participation in education,” explained a school principal.
