By Bhogtoram Mawroh
The 2026 ‘School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap For Quality Enhancement’ by NITI Aayog has made unwanted headlines for the state by revealing that Meghalaya is one of the states with the highest dropout rates in the country. In fact, even indicators that may seem positive at first glance hide signs of deeper problems affecting the education system. For example, consider the Gross Enrolment Ratio, or GER, which is a statistical metric used in education to measure the total number of students enrolled in a specific level of education (e.g., primary, secondary, or tertiary) as a percentage of the total population in the official age group corresponding to that level. It is desirable that the GER is as close to 100 as possible, which indicates that most children in the relevant age group are enrolled in school. In this, Meghalaya has performed very well.
In 2024-25, primary GER was the highest in Meghalaya (180.7%) which is much higher than the national average of 90.0%. In fact, over the past decade, Meghalaya reported one of the highest increases in primary GER – 141.69% to 180.7%. The same can be seen in upper primary GER, where the state is again one of the highest in the country – 115.6%. Similarly, during the last decade, the state is again among those recording the highest increases in the country – from 98.59% to 115.6%. So, these may appear to be very positive statistics showing that many more children are enrolling in primary and upper primary education compared to other states in the country. However, the unusually high numbers must be properly understood.
The almost double number of students in primary classes, and the slightly lower but still higher number in upper primary classes, compared to their official population, could actually mean that many students are older than the required age group (having enrolled quite late), are under-age, or have repeated grades. The Right to Education Act, 2009, prohibits the detention of children until they complete elementary education, i.e., Class VIII. However, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017, amended this provision to state that a regular examination will be held in Class V and Class VIII at the end of every academic year. According to it, if a child fails the examination, he or she will be given additional instruction and allowed to take a re-examination. If they fail the re-examination, the relevant central or state government may decide to allow schools to detain the child. Looking at the numbers alone, it is not very clear why the primary and upper primary GER is so unusually high. Others, however, might argue that it could also mean that primary and upper primary schools have improved significantly from the past and, therefore, enrolment in these categories has also improved. This could be due to improvements in infrastructure, services, or better school coverage, which may be attracting older children to rejoin classes. The same argument can be made for the secondary-level GER (86.2%). Though it is not as high as that of some other states, it is higher than the national average of 78.7%. Over the last decade, this indicator has also increased from 70.62%, which was actually very close to the national average, making the increase one of the highest in the country.
So, when one looks at primary, upper primary and secondary education, the statistics are moving in the right direction. Though it has not achieved near-universal coverage in secondary education, the numbers are improving in the right direction. Therefore, the situation appears to be quite positive at these levels. The only issue lies at the higher secondary level. The national average GER at the higher secondary level is 58.4%. Meghalaya has the second-lowest rate (39.7%) in the country, sandwiched between Bihar (38.1%) and Nagaland (39.8%). The only positive aspect is that, unlike some states, the higher secondary GER has improved over the last decade, when it was just over 30%. So, even here there is some positive news, but a lot more can still be done.
But the biggest problem the state is facing is in terms of retention and continuity, i.e., how many students are able to stay and progress through each stage. In general, there is a consistent decline in transition rates as students advance through successive stages of schooling. At the national level, while 88.8% of students progress from primary to upper primary, the rate drops to 83.3% at the secondary level and further to 71.5% at the higher secondary level, indicating increased attrition in the later years. This is generally true for Meghalaya as well but there is a concern specific to the state. The transition rate from primary to upper primary in 2014-15 was 94.51%, which was higher than the national average of 89%. This declined to 75% in 2024-25, while the national average increased to 92%. So, the state has regressed while the rest of the country has improved. Similarly, the transition rate from upper primary to secondary was 82% in 2014-15, which declined to 65% in 2024-25, an astonishing decline of almost 20 percentage points.
This decline in the transition rates from primary to upper primary and from upper primary to secondary could very well be due to the fact that the GER for primary and upper primary is already very high, at more than 100%. Therefore, it could simply be the figures correcting themselves at the higher levels. However, this argument does not work for the higher levels, i.e., secondary and higher secondary. The transition rate in 2014-15 from secondary to higher secondary was 54%, which was lower than the national average of 67%. In 2024-25, this declined to 47%, while the national average increased to 75%. So, the situation has actually regressed when it comes to retention and continuity of students, especially as they move to higher classes. Many students leave the education system rather than continue to higher levels of schooling. This is reflected in the dropout patterns.
In 2024-25, 22 states and Union Territories reported zero or near-zero dropout rates, which is reflected in the national average of just 0.3%. However, some states continue to face challenges, with Mizoram (10.8%) reporting the highest incidence, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (4.8%), and Meghalaya (4.2%). The rate worsens for Meghalaya as one moves up the education ladder. The national dropout rate for upper primary is a little higher at 3.5%, but Meghalaya’s rate is more than double that at over 7%. Similarly, the dropout rate at the secondary level stands at 17%, significantly higher than the national average of 11%.
It is here that the figures on school infrastructure become very important. The national figure for schools with functional electricity in 2024-25 is 91%, while it is only 28% in the state, which is a shocking statistic. Schools with computer facilities account for just 19%, against the national average of 64%. Similar figures are found for schools with internet facilities: 26% in Meghalaya as against 63% at the national level. The national figure for smart classrooms is lower, at 30%, but for the state it is an abysmal 4%. One can argue that such infrastructure is not always possible in rural areas. Instead, one must look at basic infrastructure that all schools, whether rural or urban, should possess. But even here, the situation is highly alarming. Schools with functional boys’ toilets stand at 72%, but this is still lower than the national average of 92%. The corresponding figure for girls’ toilets is a little lower, at 68%, which is again less than the national average of 94%. Over the last decade, infrastructure has improved, but the figures remain below the national average. So, the argument that the high GER for primary and upper primary is due to improved infrastructure does not seem entirely convincing. Instead, given the continuing deficiencies in school infrastructure, it is possible that part of the unusually high GER is due to older children remaining in or re-entering the school system, which casts a question mark over some of the positive statistics that the state has.
All of this makes it very clear that the education sector in the state is indeed in a very poor condition. While there has been progress in certain indicators, particularly GER, a closer look suggests that these gains may conceal more fundamental challenges. What is undeniable, however, is the high dropout rate, which could indicate that the infrastructure is not sufficient to accommodate students or that there is a loss of hope regarding the prospects of higher education. Both possibilities are troubling and need to be addressed.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)
