India has made significant strides in primary education, but its progress in upper secondary education remains a concern, according to a recent UNESCO report. The “SDG 4 Scorecard Progress Report on National Benchmarks: Focus on Teachers” highlights the nation’s achievements and challenges across various education indicators.
India is performing well in pre-primary education, with a participation rate of 91%, just shy of its 2025 benchmark of 95%. Similarly, the country is on track in the primary education sector, boasting a 94% completion rate, close to the 2025 target of 99%. However, the situation is markedly different at the upper secondary level, where the completion rate lags at 51%, far below the 2025 benchmark of 84%. This slow progress underscores the need for targeted interventions to boost secondary education outcomes.
In comparison, neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal are showing faster progress in both primary and upper secondary education, highlighting the challenges India faces in closing the gap. The report also notes that while India has made notable progress in reducing the out-of-school rate among primary-age children, the pace slows significantly in the lower and upper secondary stages.
One area of concern is the lack of data on minimum learning proficiency in India, which hampers a clear assessment of the country’s educational progress. Additionally, the report indicates that school internet connectivity across primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels is only average, suggesting room for further development.
On a positive note, India is making commendable progress in the training of pre-primary teachers, achieving a 95% rate, aligning with its 2025 benchmark.
The UNESCO report underscores the need for India to accelerate efforts in upper secondary education to meet its national targets by 2025 and 2030. With 79% of countries having submitted their benchmarks, India must intensify its focus to ensure it does not fall behind in the global education landscape.
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