India parliamentary panel reports 73% student dropout rate

A parliamentary panel in India has reported a “drastic decline” in both the number of schools and student enrollment as education levels progress. According to the Tenth Report of the Committee on Estimates presented to the Lok Sabha, nearly 73% of students drop out before completing higher secondary education.

Data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024-25 highlights a significant disparity in school availability. Out of 1,092,671 government and government-aided schools, 911,032 are primary schools, while only 90,866 are at the higher secondary level. This shortage of institutions correlates with a sharp drop in enrollment: from over 618 million students in primary classes to approximately 164 million in higher secondary classes.

The committee also identified issues such as textbook shortages and academic stress caused by changing examination patterns. To address these challenges, the panel urged the Ministry of Education to prioritize upgrading existing primary and secondary schools into full higher secondary institutions to improve physical accessibility and reduce dropout rates.