A parliamentary panel has flagged a sharp decline in the number of schools and students as education levels rise, with nearly 73% of students dropping out before completing higher secondary education, while shortages of new textbooks and changing examination patterns are adding to academic stress among those who remain.
The observations are part of the Tenth Report (Eighteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Estimates (2026-27) on "Budget and Policy aspects for providing Affordable and Quality Education in the Country including Review of Central Board of Secondary Education", presented in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The committee noted that the number of schools at secondary and higher secondary levels was significantly lower than at primary and upper primary levels.
According to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024-25, of the 10,92,671 government and government-aided schools, 9,11,032 are at the primary level, 4,12,805 at the upper primary level, 1,61,808 at the secondary level and only 90,866 at the higher secondary level.
Student enrolment also declines sharply with rising education levels, from 6,18,45,033 students in primary classes and 4,08,93,978 in classes 6 to 8 to 2,36,68,220 at the secondary level and 1,64,17,949 at the higher secondary level.
"The committee are concerned to note this drastic decline in number of schools and students as education levels rises," it said.
"From the above information, the Committee note that out of over 1 million government schools, the vast majority are only primary schools, and nearly 73% of students drop out before finishing higher secondary," it added.
The committee urged the Education Ministry to prioritise upgrading existing primary and secondary schools into full higher secondary schools to ensure that students have physical access to high schools and to reduce the drop-out rate.
"The Committee are of the view that there is an urgent need to increase the number of schools at secondary and higher secondary levels," it said.
As education is on the Concurrent List of the Constitution, with most schools under the jurisdiction of state governments and Union Territory administrations, the committee urged the ministry to impress upon states and UTs to set up more secondary and higher secondary schools.
Textbook shortage, exam pattern
The panel also flagged a gap between curriculum design and implementation for classes 9 to 12, saying shortages of textbooks and new application-based Board examination patterns were creating academic stress and confusion, particularly among students appearing for classes 10 and 12 examinations.
The committee noted that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had aligned its curriculum framework for Grades 9 to 12 with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023.
It, however, said there was a significant gap between curriculum design and implementation as the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was still rolling out new textbooks for classes 9 to 12. Schools were therefore often required to teach an updated, high-order curriculum while older study materials remained in use.
"The non-availability of textbooks and newer, application-based Board examination patterns are creating significant academic stress and confusion for students especially for the students appearing for the Class 10 and 12 examinations," the committee said.
It urged the ministry to take immediate steps to bridge the transition gap by speeding up the development, printing and nationwide distribution of the remaining new textbooks.
The committee also urged NCERT to work with CBSE to ensure the successful implementation of the new initiatives and recommended a nationwide teacher-capacity building programme to train educators in application-based pedagogy.
Teacher training
The panel noted that CBSE conducts capacity-building programmes nationwide, with teachers and principals required to complete at least 50 hours of training every year covering core values and ethics, subject knowledge and teaching practices.
It appreciated CBSE for training more than 11 million participants through online and offline programmes over the past five years and providing the training free of cost to government school teachers.
However, it flagged a sharp fall in online teacher training, from more than 5.3 million participants in 2022 to about 162,814 in 2025.
While government teachers receive free training, private affiliated schools in rural and difficult areas have to pay a general training fee plus an additional Rs 700 per teacher for single-day workshops.
"The Committee are of the view that some of the non-government schools in rural or semi-urban areas do not have enough budgetary resources to send their teachers on paid trainings," the report said.
The committee recommended that the ministry maintain continuity in teacher-capacity building programmes, set annual targets for training and review training fees so teachers from budget-constrained private schools, particularly in rural areas, can participate in online programmes.
Fees and digital infrastructure
The panel noted that CBSE exempts visually impaired candidates from examination fees but has a uniform fee of Rs 1,600 for five subjects for students appearing in India.
It said CBSE did not provide financial concessions or fee waivers for socio-economically disadvantaged sections and recommended targeted exemptions for economically weaker and socially disadvantaged groups "in order to lessen the financial burden and give them opportunity to continue their education".
The committee also recommended greater transparency in CBSE answer-sheet evaluation through standardised and objective assessment.
It said the Board's digital infrastructure under Pariksha Sangam should be continually upgraded to ensure "foolproof security and efficiency" for Board examinations as well as national selection tests such as the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST).
Disability access
The panel flagged a severe gap in infrastructure for children with special needs (CwSN), noting that more than half of schools lack CwSN-friendly facilities.
According to UDISE+ 2024-25, of 14,71,437 schools nationwide, only 5,23,143 have CwSN toilets and 8,08,466 have ramps with handrails.
During 2024-25, Rs 482 lakh was allocated for constructing 186 CwSN toilets, but only Rs 2.60 lakh was utilised, with no progress against the physical targets.
"The severe gap in the availability of CwSN friendly infrastructure shows that more than half of the schools across the country are devoid of CwSN friendly infrastructure," the committee said.
The panel also noted that only Rs 80.50 lakh was utilised against a budgetary grant of Rs 962 lakh for special educators in the elementary section, with limited progress in recruiting and retaining educators for CwSN students.
It recommended that the ministry set annual targets for the utilisation of funds and execution of CwSN-related projects, provide safe and accessible infrastructure within a fixed timeframe and assess the requirement for special educators nationwide.
Education spending
On public spending, the committee noted that one of the key objectives of NEP 2020 was to raise public expenditure on education to 6% of gross domestic product.
However, combined spending by the Centre and states currently stands at 4.1% of GDP, it said, reflecting a persistent shortfall as NEP 2020 reaches its final year of implementation.
The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated Rs 1,39,286 crore to the Education Ministry, an increase of 8.27% over the previous year.
The committee recommended a dedicated, time-bound financial roadmap requiring both the Centre and states to increase education spending.
"To bridge the GDP gap, the Ministry should move away from marginal incremental budgeting and ensure a mandatory annual baseline increase of 10% in the education budget to gradually converge with the 6% GDP target," it said.
As the second phase of NEP enters the pipeline, the committee also recommended a specialised, non-lapsable education fund to support long-term infrastructure creation, digital expansion and inclusive education across financial years.
(With inputs from PTI)
