Parliamentary Panel Flags 73% Student Dropout Before Higher Secondary

A parliamentary committee has expressed serious concern over the sharp decline in the number of schools and students as education levels rise, noting that nearly 73% of students drop out before completing higher secondary education. The observation is part of the Tenth Report of the Committee on Estimates (Eighteenth Lok Sabha) on 'Budget and Policy aspects for providing Affordable and Quality Education in the Country including Review of Central Board of Secondary Education', presented to the Lok Sabha on August 12, 2026.

According to data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024-25, there are 10,92,671 government and government-aided schools in the country. Of these, 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. Similarly, student enrolment declines progressively: from 6,18,45,033 in primary classes to 4,08,93,978 in upper primary (classes 6 to 8), 2,36,68,220 in secondary, and 1,64,17,949 in higher secondary.

The committee stated that it is 'concerned to note this drastic decline in number of schools and students as education levels rises'. It observed that out of over one million government schools, the vast majority are only primary schools, and nearly 73% of students do not continue to higher secondary. The committee strongly urged the Union Ministry of Education to prioritise upgrading existing primary and secondary schools into full higher secondary schools, so that a high school is physically accessible to students from different communities and the dropout rate is arrested.

Noting that education is on the Concurrent List of the Constitution, with most schools under the jurisdiction of State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, the committee desired the Ministry to impress upon all States and UTs to take steps for setting up more secondary and higher secondary schools to increase enrolment.

In a separate observation on inclusive education, the committee flagged a severe gap in the availability of infrastructure for Children with Special Needs (CwSN). As per UDISE+ 2024-25, out of 14,71,437 schools at the national level, only 5,23,143 have CwSN toilets, and only 8,08,466 have ramps with handrails. During 2024-25, a budget of ₹482 lakh was allocated for constructing 186 CwSN toilets, but only ₹2.60 lakh was actually utilised, with no progress on physical targets. The committee appreciated the Ministry's vision under the Samagra Shiksha scheme but stressed the urgent need to bridge this gap to achieve true inclusive education.