School budget rises by ₹5,074 Cr, but UDISE+ data reveal key gaps in retention, infrastructure

The recent budget released by the government shows an overall increase of ₹ 5,074 Cr in the allocation for the Department of School Education and Literacy in the FY 2025-26, with the budget allocation in flagship schemes increased such as Samagra Shiksha, PM-POSHAN and PM-SHRI with respect Budget Estimates. However, there also exist 22,298 unrecognised schools with a total of 24,34,238 students and 15,8990 teachers per UDISE + 2023-24. While this data needs to be interpreted carefully keeping in mind that States such as Ladakh and Arunachal have 34.4% and 24.7% of their schools with less than 10 students enrolled, due to topographical reasons, GPS mapping would be needed to ensure that students are able to access schools with adequate teachers and necessary infrastructure. Another statistic emerging from UDISE + 2023-24 data is that despite the fact that RTE mandated that all schools should get recognition within three years post RTE Act, 2009 or else cease to exist, there are a total of 22,298 unrecognised schools in the country with a total of 24,34,238 students and 1,58,990 teachers. This needs immediate policy attention particularly since the vast majority of these unrecognised schools listed in UDISE + are located in four state/s Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal.