Agartala, Oct 28: As many as 340 schools across Tripura, accommodating 6,492 students, are being operated by a single teacher, according to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024–25 report released by the Ministry of Education.
The report, published in August, presents a mixed picture of Tripura’s education sector — reflecting commendable improvements in infrastructure but also exposing a severe shortage of teachers. Officials, however, noted positively that no school in the state has zero enrolment.
Tripura maintains a pupil-teacher ratio of 18, with an average of 140 students per school. In contrast, single-teacher schools manage about 20 students each, indicating smaller enrolments but challenging workloads for educators.
Out of the 4,943 schools in the state, all have electricity, and over 97 percent have separate toilets for boys and girls. The total enrolment for 2024–25 stands at 6,90,084 students — including 4,88,370 in 4,187 government schools, 28,103 in 42 aided institutions, and 12,067 in central and special-category schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Eklavya Model Schools. Another 1,61,544 students attend 485 private schools, underscoring a rising preference for private education.
Government schools employ 27,601 teachers, averaging seven per institution, while private schools — though fewer — have 8,195 teachers, or about 16 per school, exposing a stark staffing gap.
While basic amenities are strong, modern infrastructure remains limited. Only 41 percent of schools have internet access, 4 percent have solar panels, and 3 percent feature rainwater harvesting systems. Computer classes are available in 3,289 schools, and science laboratories exist in 428 of 1,229 secondary schools.
The dropout rate remains a concern — 8.8 percent at the secondary level, 3.2 percent at the middle level, and 1.3 percent at the foundational stage, highlighting areas needing urgent attention.
