Parliament Panel Flags 73% Student Dropouts, Textbook Shortages, and CwSN Deficits
Public Lokpal
August 13, 2026
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Parliament Panel Flags 73% Student Dropouts, Textbook Shortages, and CwSN Deficits
A recent parliamentary panel report has highlighted severe structural gaps in India’s school education system, noting that nearly 73% of students drop out before reaching higher secondary education.
According to the Tenth Report of the Committee on Estimates, while primary classes record over 6.18 crore students, higher secondary enrollment drastically shrinks to 1.64 crore.
The panel attributed this steep attrition largely to a severe infrastructure imbalance: out of over 1.09 million government and aided schools, primary schools number 9.11 lakh, whereas higher secondary institutions dwindle to a meager 90,866.
Furthermore, the committee criticized chronic textbook shortages and curriculum gaps tied to the new pedagogical frameworks, which are fueling heavy exam stress for students facing board exams.
On inclusivity, the panel exposed a staggering implementation failure regarding Children with Special Needs (CwSN). Over half of the nation's schools lack disability-friendly infrastructure, and authorities utilized a mere ₹80.50 lakh out of a ₹962 lakh budget allocated for special educators.
Urgent interventions have been demanded, including upgrading school infrastructure nationwide, accelerating textbook distribution, and strictly enforcing budgetary targets for special education.