NITI Aayog Report Flags Massive Gaps In Schools: 98,500 Without Girls’ Toilets, 1.19 Lakh Have No Electricity

NITI Aayog Report: A recent report by NITI Aayog has revealed that thousands of schools across India still lack basic facilities such as toilets and handwashing infrastructure. The report, released on Thursday, compiles national and state-level data on school infrastructure, staffing, enrolment, and learning indicators.

According to the report, thousands of schools in the country continue to function without water supply, toilets, electricity, laboratories, or adequate teachers. In some cases, schools reportedly do not even have students. The report also highlights that the high dropout rate after primary education remains a major concern in several states. Adding to the challenge, only 10-15 per cent of teachers in government schools are able to score above 60 per cent in the subjects they teach.
While the report notes that overall toilet coverage has improved significantly, it points out that 98,592 schools across the country still do not have functional girls’ toilets, while 61,540 schools lack any usable toilet facility.

Similarly, although electricity access in schools has improved from 55 per cent to 91.9 per cent over the past decade, nearly 1.19 lakh schools still do not have functional electricity connections.

The report further states that 14,505 schools continue to lack water access, while 59,829 schools do not have handwashing facilities. Additionally, only 51.7 per cent of government secondary schools in the country have science laboratories.

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The findings also highlight concerns over India’s education spending. According to the report, India spends only 4.6 per cent of its GDP on education, compared to around 5.9 per cent in the UK and the US, and nearly 5.4 per cent in Germany and France.

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As per PARAKH-based outcome mapping, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir have performed poorly, while Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan have shown better performance.

PARAKH which stands for Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development is the national assessment regulator established in 2023 under National Council of Educational Research and Training, as mandated by the National Education Policy 2020.