The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the secondary level enrollment (middle school) in Karnataka has crossed 100% and is currently at 101.3%. The State’s GER has increased by 22.46 percentage points in the past decade, according to the NITI Aayog’s new report, ‘School Education System In India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement.’
The GER exceeded 100% in Chandigarh (110.1%), Goa (107.5%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (104.9%), Himachal Pradesh (102.6%), Karnataka (101.3%), and Delhi (101.1%).
States nearing universal levels include Telangana 99.9%, West Bengal 99.4%, and Kerala 98.7%.
At the lower end were Bihar 51.1%, Nagaland 61.8%, Uttar Pradesh 64.3%, Jammu & Kashmir 66.1%, Madhya Pradesh 68.2, and Arunachal Pradesh 69.3% in 2024-25, with the GER levels slipping further below the national average.
The report highlighted that the past decade witnessed significant relative GER improvements in West Bengal from 75.26% to 99.4%, Telangana 76.7% to 99.9% and Karnataka from 78.84% to 101.3%.
“The decadal movement highlights that secondary education remains the most fragile link in the schooling cycle, where economic constraints, social factors, and weak institutional support converge to limit participation,” stated the report.
At a glance: Niti Aayog report 2026
GER in secondary level in Karnataka is 101.3%
State’s GER has increased by 22.46% in secondary level in the past decade
GER of higher secondary level in Karnataka is 61.4%
Karnataka’s GER for girls has increased from 90.58% to 103.9% in the past decade
School dropout rates in secondary level in Karnataka is 18.3%
Only 55% of schools have computer facility in Karnataka.
Higher secondary
The State-level data shows that higher secondary GER is highest in Chandigarh 107.4%, followed by Puducherry 95.5%, Goa 93.8%, Kerala 89.5%, Andaman & Nicobar Islands 85.8%, Himachal Pradesh 84.7%, Tamil Nadu 83.4%, Delhi 82.7%, and Uttarakhand 80.9%. In contrast, the lowest levels are observed in Bihar 38.1%, Meghalaya 39.7%, Nagaland 39.8%, Assam 43.5%, Arunachal Pradesh 43.7%, Jammu & Kashmir 44.8%, Madhya Pradesh 45.0%, Gujarat 47.3%, Jharkhand 48.6%, and Sikkim 49.6%.
The largest relative improvement in enrollment during the past decade was observed in Karnataka from 29.68% to 61.4%. In Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 38.21% to 68.4%, Bihar 22.38% to 38.1%, and Assam 28.55% to 43.5%. The steepest relative declines were in Lakshadweep from 75.75% to 51.1%, Arunachal Pradesh 54.67% to 43.7%.
GER for girls
Several States and Union Territories have registered notable improvements in the GER for girls at the upper-primary stage. Gains are most visible in Chandigarh from 111.65% to 131.2% and Meghalaya 105.13% to 126.8%.
In southern States, Karnataka’s improvements in the GER for girls is 90.58% to 103.9% and in Andhra Pradesh 81.47% to 102%.
Learning outcomes decline
The report also points out to the broad decline in learning outcomes across the country. A cluster of States/UTs, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu, experienced particularly sharp reductions across subjects.
In contrast, a larger group of States such as Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal recorded moderate decline.
Dropouts
The dropout rates in secondary level is highest in West Bengal (20.0%), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (18.3%), Karnataka (18.3%), and Assam (17.5%).
The transition from secondary to higher secondary has reached 100% in Delhi and Chandigarh. High transition levels are also observed in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (92.5%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (91.4%), and Lakshadweep (91.3%). However, transition rates remain lowest in Meghalaya (47.8%), followed by West Bengal (57.4%), Mizoram (58.5%), and Karnataka (62.5%).
Availability of computers
Despite being a capital of Information Technology (IT), the NITI Aayog report revealed that only 55% of schools have computer facility in Karnataka.
However, the availability of computers in schools has reached full coverage in Lakshadweep (100%), and is virtually universal in Delhi (99.9%), Puducherry (99.5%), Chandigarh (99.5%), Kerala (99.5%), and Punjab (99%).
Over the past decade, the sharpest gains were recorded in Assam from 9.8% to 78.7%, Jharkhand 9.7% to 76%, Odisha 13.7% to 76.7%.
In contrast, the smallest improvements were observed in Karnataka from 38.7% to 55.7% and in Goa from 43.5% to 57.1%.
