A decade-long analysis of India’s school education system by Niti Aayog reveals that while India has achieved near-universal access to school at the primary level, it faces retention problems at the secondary level. There is also a continuing crisis in learning outcomes.
The report titled “School Education System in India — A Timeline Analysis and Policy Plan for Quality Improvement” highlights the “pyramid” problem.
The education system currently resembles a sharp pyramid with 14.71 million schools and 24.69 million students.
High outages
While the country boasts 7.3 thousand primary schools, this number drops to 1.64 thousand at the upper secondary level. Four out of every 10 children who enter the system leave it before completing upper secondary education.
“This structural fragmentation means that only 5.4% of schools offer a continuous pathway from grades 1 to 12. For the vast majority of students, progression to higher grades requires multiple changes of institution – a barrier that contributes to steep attrition,” the report said. “This fragmentation, without any established links between transition schools, requires students at key stages to move schools depending on local availability, which further contributes to lower retention rates and reduces the likelihood of progressing to higher levels of education.”
Added to this, nearly 7,993 schools across the country reported zero student enrollment, with the highest numbers recorded in West Bengal (3,812) and Telangana (2,245). “While these schools appear functional in administrative records, they no longer serve any student population. Despite zero enrollment, these schools continue to receive financial and human resources due to insufficient records being updated, demonstrating the gap between reality on the ground and planning,” the report said.
The report recommends “Cylinder” education to fix the “leaky pipeline” of students who drop out, which includes the creation of composite schools that cover grades 1 to 12 under one roof. The report points to the fact that the Right to Education Act ends at age 14, leaving families to shoulder the costs of school fees, books and transport for older children.
No equipment
The report highlights that as per UDISE+ 2024-25, 1.19 lakh schools do not have access to functional electricity. Access to water and sanitary facilities is also inconsistent. The proportion of schools with drinking water facilities has increased from 96.5% in 2014 to 99% in 2025, but 14,505 schools still lack functional water sources and nearly 59,829 schools lack handwashing facilities, putting students’ health and hygiene at risk.
“While internet access has increased eightfold (now at 63.5%), one-third of schools still lack connectivity and 50% of public secondary schools operate without a science laboratory,” the report said.
Improving children’s learning outcomes and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) are challenges that need to be addressed in the school education system, the report says.
Despite high enrollment, 8th grade reading proficiency declined. In 2014, 74.7% of 8th graders could read a 2nd grade text; by 2024, that number had dropped to 71.1%. In mathematics, only 45.8% of 8th grade students can solve the basic division task. “Recent PARAKH 2024 findings suggest that while students are good at routine patterns, they struggle with real-world application. For example, less than 30% of Grade 6 students demonstrate competence in fractions,” the report said.
The report pointed out that in October 2025, the Department of Education announced that artificial intelligence and computational thinking would be introduced from Year 3 onwards. But the report warns that without ethical frameworks and better teacher training, over-reliance on artificial intelligence could “reduce independent thinking” in younger pupils.
“school complexes”
The report recommended that “school complexes” be operationalized as envisioned in the NEP 2020 to strengthen academic continuity, ensure equitable allocation of resources, and increase the efficiency of school administration. “The concept envisages the grouping of one middle or senior high school with all schools offering lower grades in a defined neighborhood (usually within a 5- to 10-kilometer radius), including a nearby 5- to 10-kilometer radius.”
By aggregating academic and administrative functions across schools, school complexes allow for the optimal deployment of subject-specific teachers, science and ICT laboratories, libraries, sports infrastructure and vocational training offerings such as skills laboratories.
“This model becomes particularly critical in rural, remote and tribal areas where stand-alone schools may not have the resources to offer a complete educational experience,” the report recommends.
There is also a need to invest in creating an open, interoperable and evolving digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the education sector that can be used by multiple platforms and point solutions.
“National schemes like PM e-Vidya, BharatNet and Gati Shakti should be unified to speed up infrastructure deployment and enable equitable digital access at all school levels,” the report recommends.
Niti Aayog said a comprehensive vacancy mapping of all administrative posts from block to state level — including cluster resource coordinators, block education officers and MIS staff — should be done to fill critical vacancies at block and district levels through time-bound recruitment drives.
The report states that India’s current allocation of 4.6% of GDP to education remains below the 6% target first recommended in 1964, and that a higher allocation is key to achieving reforms.
Published – 08 May 2026 21:15 IST
