Concerns Arise Over India's School Infrastructure and Teacher Shortages

A new report from NITI Aayog reveals significant challenges in India's education system, including a lack of basic facilities in schools, high dropout rates, and teacher shortages. Thousands of schools are operating without essential amenities, and many teachers are underqualified. The report highlights the urgent need for improvements in infrastructure and educational quality to ensure that students receive the education they deserve. With alarming statistics on enrollment and dropout rates, the situation calls for immediate attention from policymakers and stakeholders in the education sector.

By Ambika Singh May 8, 2026, 16:12 IST

Critical Issues in Education

New Delhi: Obtaining an education is no small feat; it requires significant effort. Essential facilities must be provided in schools to foster a love for learning among children rather than pushing them away. However, a recent report from the NITI Aayog raises alarming concerns. Thousands of schools across the country are operating without basic amenities such as water, toilets, electricity, laboratories, and even teachers. In some cases, there are no students enrolled at all.

Schools Awaiting Students

Moreover, the high dropout rates after primary classes have become a significant issue in several states. Alarmingly, only 10-15% of teachers in government schools manage to score above 60% in their respective subjects.

The School Education System in India

The NITI Aayog's latest report titled 'The School Education System in India' reveals that many schools still lack basic facilities such as toilets and handwashing stations. Released on Thursday, the report compiles national and state-level data on school infrastructure, staffing, enrollment, and learning indicators.

Infrastructure Insights from the Report

There are 98,592 schools in the country without functional toilets for girls, and 61,540 schools lack any usable toilets.

While the availability of electricity in schools has increased from 55% to 91.9% over the past decade, 119,000 schools still lack this essential service.

Additionally, approximately 14,505 schools do not have access to water, and 59,829 schools lack handwashing facilities.

Only 51.7% of government secondary schools have science laboratories.

Teacher Vacancies in Schools

The report indicates that 104,125 schools operate with just one teacher, with about 89% of these located in rural areas. In some states, the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) at the secondary level is alarmingly high. For instance, in Jharkhand, the PTR in government secondary schools is 47:1, while the ideal ratio is considered to be between 10:1 and 18:1.

The highest number of vacant primary teacher positions is recorded in the following states:

Bihar: 208,784

Jharkhand: 80,341

Madhya Pradesh: 47,122

Another factor hindering quality education in India is the qualification of teachers. The report reveals that only 2% of math teachers can score above 70%, with the average score being just 46%. Furthermore, around 14% of teaching days are spent on non-academic tasks such as surveys, elections, and administrative duties.

Dropout Rates

Regarding enrollment, there are approximately 7,993 schools in the country with zero enrollment. West Bengal has the highest number of such 'ghost' schools (3,812), followed by Telangana (2,245).

The high dropout rates from secondary schools present another major challenge. The national average dropout rate at this level is 11.5%. States with dropout rates exceeding the national average include:

West Bengal: 20%

Arunachal Pradesh: 18.3%

Karnataka: 18.3%

Assam: 17.5%

In fact, the situation has worsened in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the dropout rates from secondary education have increased significantly. In Bihar, the percentage of children dropping out has risen from 2.98% to 9.3%, while in Uttar Pradesh, it has increased from 0.52% to 3.0%.

Expenditure on Education

The report also highlights that India spends only 4.6% of its GDP on education. In comparison, this figure is approximately 5.9% for the UK and the USA, and around 5.4% for Germany and France.

According to the performance mapping based on assessments, states like Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir have shown poor performance, while Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan have performed better.

The assessment, known as PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), is a national evaluation regulator established under the National Education Policy 2020, which will be operational in 2023.