Economic Survey 2025–26: What's working in India's education sector

The Economic Survey 2025–26 says India's education system is steadily improving, with higher enrolment, better learning outcomes, and growing access in both schools and colleges, driven by reforms under the National Education Policy.

India’s education system has made steady progress in improving access, quality, and outcomes in both school and higher education, according to the Economic Survey 2025–26, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The survey notes that improvements have been driven by better community participation, stronger assessments, and closer links between education and skill development.

The report says school enrolment has increased across levels, literacy rates have improved, and vocational education opportunities have expanded, helped by policies such as the Right to Education Act, 2009 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

According to the survey, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in schools now stands at 90.9 per cent at the primary level, 90.3 per cent at upper primary, 78.7 per cent at secondary, and 58.4 per cent at higher secondary.

Schemes such as Samagra Shiksha, PM POSHAN, and PM-SHRI Schools have played a key role in improving access, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas.

India now operates one of the world’s largest school systems, with 14.71 lakh schools, 24.69 crore students, and over one crore teachers, the survey said, citing UDISE+ data for 2024-25.

To strengthen early learning, the government has co-located nearly three lakh Anganwadi centres with schools and expanded teaching materials in local languages through initiatives like Jaadui Pitara and the Bhartiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme.