Gujarat retains every child in the early years of schooling. Yet by the time students reach the end of secondary education, nearly half are no longer in the system.
According to the UDISE+ 2025-26 report released by the Union Ministry of Education, Gujarat’s retention rate from entry into school to the completion of Class 12 stands at 54.5 per cent. That means 45.5 per cent of students do not remain in the education system through the full schooling cycle. While this figure includes students who may have migrated or shifted education systems, it also reflects the scale of attrition before secondary education is completed.
The data reveals that the problem is concentrated at one stage rather than spread evenly across a student’s school life. Gujarat recorded 100 per cent retention during the foundational and preparatory years, while retention remained relatively high at 90.4 per cent in the middle stage. The sharpest decline occurs at the secondary level, where the state’s dropout rate reaches 12.5 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 7 per cent.
The report also points to structural challenges within the school system. Gujarat has 58 schools with zero enrolment despite having 74 teachers posted to them. At the same time, 2,335 single-teacher schools collectively educate more than 80,000 students. Although the state averages seven teachers per school, matching the national average, its student-teacher ratio is 29 compared with 24 nationally, suggesting that teaching resources are not evenly distributed across schools.
The findings come shortly after the Gujarat government announced that an AI-based early warning system had helped prevent 1.67 lakh school dropouts over the past year. While that intervention may have improved outcomes for many students, the latest UDISE+ data indicates that secondary education remains the weakest link in the state’s schooling pipeline.
The numbers suggest that Gujarat’s biggest education challenge is not getting children into classrooms. It is ensuring they stay there long enough to complete school. That shift in focus from enrolment to retention, may ultimately determine how successful the state’s education system proves to be.
Source: Economic Times
