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A parliamentary panel has flagged a sharp decline in schools and student enrolment as education levels rise, with nearly 73% of students dropping out before completing higher secondary. It urged upgrading schools and expanding secondary education. The panel also flagged gaps in CwSN infrastructure, noting over half of schools lack disability-friendly facilities, and sought time-bound action.

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has flagged a "drastic decline" in the number of schools and students as education level rises, noting that nearly 73 per cent students drop out before finishing higher secondary.

The recommendation is 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 to Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The committee noted that the number of schools at Secondary and Higher Secondary levels are very less when compared with the number of schools at Primary and Upper Primary levels.

It said as per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024-25, out of the total 10,92,671 schools, including all the government and government aided schools, there are 9,11,032 schools at primary level, 4,12,805 schools at upper primary level, 1,61,808 schools at secondary level, and only 90,866 schools at higher secondary level in the country.