India’s school education system is facing a major challenge as students move from primary to higher secondary classes. A parliamentary panel has highlighted a sharp fall in enrolment at successive levels and pointed to the shortage of secondary and senior secondary schools as one of the key reasons.
According to data cited in the report of the Parliament Committee on Estimates, around 6.18 crore students are enrolled at the primary level. The number falls to more than 4 crore in upper primary classes, around 2.3 crore in secondary classes and just 1.6 crore at the higher secondary level.
The committee has described the decline as “drastic” and called for urgent steps to expand access to secondary and higher secondary education across the country.
Sharp Fall in Student Enrolment as Classes Increase
The committee’s report, titled Budget and Policy Aspects for Providing Affordable and Quality Education in the Country Including Review of Central Board of Secondary Education, was presented in Parliament on Tuesday. It examined education data for the 2024-25 academic year.
The report, based on data from the government’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), shows a significant reduction in the number of students as they progress through the school system.
| Education Level | Student Enrolment |
|---|---|
| Primary | 6.18 crore |
| Upper Primary | More than 4 crore |
| Secondary | Around 2.3 crore |
| Higher Secondary | Around 1.6 crore |
The committee has linked the sharp decline to the limited availability of schools at higher levels. It noted that a large majority of government schools offer education only at the primary level, creating an accessibility gap for students who want to continue their education.
India Has Far Fewer Higher Secondary Schools
The shortage becomes clearer when the number of schools at different levels is considered.
According to the report, India has around 91 lakh schools at the primary level. This number falls to more than 4 lakh at the upper primary level, over 1.6 lakh at the secondary level and only around 90,000 at the higher secondary level.
The committee said the limited number of secondary and higher secondary schools can make it difficult for students, particularly those from different communities and locations, to continue their education.
It has therefore recommended upgrading existing primary and secondary schools into full-fledged higher secondary schools wherever possible.
The panel also wants the Ministry of Education to work with state governments and Union Territory administrations to expand the number of secondary and higher secondary institutions.
Panel Calls for Better School Accessibility
Education is included in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, meaning both the Centre and states have responsibilities in the sector. Since a large number of schools fall under state and UT administrations, the committee has urged the Ministry of Education to encourage them to establish more secondary and higher secondary schools.
The objective is not simply to increase the number of institutions. The committee believes schools need to be physically accessible to students so that distance and lack of local facilities do not become barriers to continuing education.
Upgrading existing schools could also provide a faster way to expand higher-level education infrastructure rather than relying entirely on the construction of new institutions.
Education Spending Still Below NEP 2020 Target
The parliamentary panel also raised concerns about government spending on education.
The National Education Policy 2020 set an objective of increasing public expenditure on education to 6 percent of GDP. However, the committee noted that combined spending by the Centre and states currently stands at around 4.1 percent of GDP.
The panel described this as a continuing shortfall even as NEP 2020 approaches the final year of its implementation period.
The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹1,39,286 crore to the Ministry of Education, an increase of 8.27 percent over the previous year. However, the committee said education funding needs to be adequate to address infrastructure gaps, improve learning outcomes and strengthen the overall quality of education.
NIPUN Bharat Funds Also Remain Underutilised
The committee also highlighted another concern involving the implementation of NIPUN Bharat, the national mission launched in 2021 to ensure that children achieve foundational literacy and numeracy skills by the end of Grade 3.
For 2024-25, the approved national budgetary outlay for NIPUN Bharat was ₹3,02,926.82 lakh. The actual expenditure was ₹1,84,707.58 lakh, leaving around 39 percent of the approved funds unutilised.
The panel said several states and Union Territories recorded particularly low utilisation of funds, including Assam, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Panel Seeks Action on Implementation Gaps
The committee said underutilisation of NIPUN Bharat funds is concerning because foundational literacy and numeracy remain a key priority under NEP 2020.
It has recommended that the Ministry of Education examine the systemic problems responsible for delays and poor fund utilisation at the state and UT levels.
The larger concern raised by the report goes beyond enrolment figures. The decline in the number of students as they progress to higher classes, combined with the shortage of secondary and higher secondary schools, points to a structural challenge in ensuring that children can continue their education.
For the government, the task now is to expand school infrastructure, improve accessibility, increase education spending and ensure that allocated funds are actually reaching the programmes and institutions for which they were approved.