NITI Aayog School Education Report Flags Low Learning Outcomes

Context: NITI Aayog School Education Report

A recent NITI Aayog report titled “School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement” highlighted low student retention and weak learning outcomes at the secondary level.

Key Findings

1. India has around 14.71 lakh schools and 24.69 crore students.
2. Nearly 4 out of 10 students drop out before higher secondary level.
3. Only 5.4% schools provide continuous education from Class 1–12.
4. Around 7,993 schools reported zero enrolment.
5. Learning outcomes remain weak: only 45.8% Grade 8 students could solve a basic division problem.
6. The report recommended composite schools to reduce dropout rates.

NITI Aayog — Basics

1. NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) was established in 2015 replacing the Planning Commission.
2. It is the Government’s premier public policy think tank.
3. Chairperson: Prime Minister of India.
4. Focus areas: policy reforms, SDGs, innovation and cooperative federalism.

Important Reports Published by NITI Aayog

1. SDG India Index
2. India Innovation Index
3. National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
4. School Education Quality Index (SEQI)
5. Export Preparedness Index
6. Health Index
7. State Energy & Climate Index
8. Composite Water Management Index
9. Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption Reports
10. Strategy for New India @75