Nearly 73% Students Drop Out Before Higher Secondary, Parliamentary Panel Flags Alarming School Shortage

A parliamentary committee has expressed alarm at the drastic decline in the number of schools and students as education levels increase, noting that nearly 73% of students drop out before completing higher secondary education. According to the Tenth Report of the Committee on Estimates (2026-27) on Budget and Policy aspects for providing Affordable and Quality Education in the Country, there are only 90,866 schools at the higher secondary level, while there are 9,11,032 schools at the primary level and 4,12,805 schools at the upper primary level in the country.

The committee urged the Ministry to prioritize the conversion of primary and secondary schools into full higher secondary institutions to ensure accessibility for students from various communities and to curb the dropout rate. The committee emphasized the urgent need to increase the number of secondary and higher secondary schools, as most schools are under the jurisdiction of State Governments and UT Administration.

It also highlighted the significant gap in the availability of facilities for Divyang students, with over half of schools lacking CwSN-friendly infrastructure such as accessible toilets and ramps with handrails. The committee appreciated the Ministry's vision but noted that as per UDISE+ 2024-25, only 5,23,143 schools have CwSN toilets and 8,08,466 schools have ramps with handrails.

The committee expressed concern over the allocation of funds for constructing CwSN toilets and ramps, with only a meagre utilization of the allocated budget.