India Needs Stronger Focus on Quality Education, Says NITI Aayog Report

NITI Aayog has released a comprehensive policy report highlighting the progress and persistent challenges in India’s school education system while proposing a detailed roadmap to improve the quality of education across the country .

Titled “School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement” , the report was released on May 6 by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery and CEO Nidhi Chhibber.

The report presents a decade-long analysis of India’s school education system using data from Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan, National Achievement Survey and Annual Status of Education Report.

According to the report, India currently has 14.71 lakh schools serving more than 24.69 crore students, making it the world’s largest school education system. The study notes significant improvements in school infrastructure over the past decade, including better access to electricity, sanitation facilities, internet connectivity, computers and smart classrooms.

The report also highlights progress in equity and inclusion, particularly in girls’ participation and enrolment of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students across educational stages. It further points to signs of recovery in learning outcomes after the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in foundational literacy and numeracy, supported by initiatives such as the National Education Policy 2020, NIPUN Bharat Mission and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

At the same time, the report identifies 11 major challenges, including learning gaps, uneven quality across states, teacher shortages, governance issues and the digital divide.

To address these concerns, the report proposes 13 major recommendations covering systemic and academic reforms. Key suggestions include strengthening teacher training, improving school governance, expanding digital learning, promoting inclusive education, enhancing foundational learning, integrating vocational education and using Artificial Intelligence for pedagogy.

The policy document also outlines 33 implementation pathways with short-, medium- and long-term action plans involving the Centre, states and local bodies. More than 125 performance indicators have been suggested to monitor progress.

The report was informed by a national workshop on quality school education organised by NITI Aayog in February 2025, which brought together officials, education experts, UNESCO representatives and civil society organisations from across the country.