SaralnamaToday, for the first time, India has over 1 crore school teachers in the 2024-25 academic year, says the Ministry of Education's UDISE data. From 2022-23 to 2024-25, the number of teachers rose by 6.7%. Pupil-Teacher Ratios improved to 10, 13, 17, and 21 at foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary levels, better than the NEP 2020 target of 30. Dropout rates fell significantly in 2024-25, with preparatory stage dropping from 3.7% to 2.3%, middle from 5.2% to 3.5%, and secondary from 10.9% to 8.2%. Retention rates also improved across all levels, with secondary retention rising from 45.6% to 47.2%. The number of single-teacher schools dropped by 6%, and zero-enrolment schools fell by 38%. These changes reflect better teacher availability and efforts to keep students in school. (Updated 28 Aug 2025, 17:51 IST; source: link)