In UDISE, which data points are critical for ensuring the participation of students?

In UDISE+ these data points are critical to check for participation:

  1. Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): This is a measure of the total enrolment at a particular level in education, irrespective of age, expressed as percentage of population of the official age group corresponding to that level.
  2. Net Enrolment Rate (NER): This gives the total percentage of pupils in a particular level of school education in a corresponding official age group.
  3. Adjusted Net Enrolment ratio (ANER): This includes the percentage of pupils, of a corresponding school age group, enrolled either in the corresponding or higher level of school education. This tells about the overall enrolment situation by counting children enrolled in higher levels as well.
  4. Age Specific Enrolment Rate (ASER): This is the percentage of pupils of an official age group in the corresponding level of school education.
  5. Percentage of OBC Enrolments to Total enrolments: This indicates proportion of enrolment of OBC students against total enrolments. This is to check for the representation of OBC students in the education system.
  6. Percentage of Minority Enrolments to Total Enrolments: This represents combined enrolment of all minority communities as a proportion of total enrolment.
  7. Promotion Rate: This refers to a proportion of students of a particular grade, in a given school year, who progress to the next grade.
  8. Repetition Rate: This measures the proportion of students, enrolled in a specific grade in a school year, who remain at the same grade, in the following year.
  9. Dropout Rate: This represents the proportion of students, enrolled in a particular grade, in a given school year, who are no longer enrolled in any grade, in the following year. In other words, these students discontinue school education.
  10. Retention Rate: Indicates the percentage of pupils enrolled in the first grade of a particular school year who are expected to reach the last grade of the school.
  11. Gender Parity Index: This is the enrolment ratio of girls’ enrolment to boys enrolment.
  12. Data on CWSN: This gives information about students with special needs.
  13. Pupil-Teacher ratio: This is the average number of pupils per teacher, at a given level of education, in a given school year.

Based on past studies, here is a list of factors you can check to find out reasons for uneven participation:

  • Infrastructure: Among the factors included in infrastructure data, check for buildings, toilets, drinking water and the school boundary. Though studies have shown that data on infrastructure does not give a clear picture as poor utilisation and maintenance of infrastructure could be a cause for lack of participation.
  • Teachers: Check for data on single teacher schools, PTR, qualification of teachers. Supplement this information by finding out if the classrooms are multigrade, what is the nature of teaching activity and if social discrimination in schools is preventing participation.