Inter-State Disparities in Female Educational Attainment in India: A Composite Index Based Analysis Using NFHS-V Data

Abstract

Introduction: The multidimensional nature of education necessitates the use of diverse indicators to assess educational attainment across States. A state’s strong performance in one indicator of female educational attainment does not necessarily imply comparable performance in others. Consequently, identifying States that lag in the educational progression of the females is crucial for informed policy formulation and the design of targeted interventions. Such an approach enables the development of suitable programmes aimed at strengthening educational outcomes and reducing inter-state disparities. Methods: The statistical and cartographic techniques were employed to construct and represent the composite index based on multiple educational variables. The extensive dataset derived from the NFHS- V (National Family Health Survey) reports was processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while Microsoft Excel’s functional utilities used in derivation of results. The UNDP dimension index methodology was applied to standardise the observations, eliminate scale biases, and ensure comparability across variables. Results: The UNDP dimension index–based results were categorised into five levels of educational progression: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. Across States, integrated educational attainment scores ranges from 0.0974 in Bihar to 0.8653 in Kerala, indicating substantial variations in educational attainment. Discussion: Most Union Territories demonstrated relatively strong performance. Except for Himachal Pradesh, the majority of southern States outperformed their northern counterparts, highlighting a regional pattern in educational attainment. States exhibiting lower levels of educational progression may benefit from adopting the effective strategies implemented by higher-performing regions. Conclusion: Monitoring and assessment of educational progression is imperative for the for the betterment of all the stakeholders and soft-skills—knowledge, capacity, value and disposition, in the ever-changing world. Continuous and systematic monitoring remains essential to enhance learners’ knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions—elements fundamental to personal development as well as community and national progress.