Archive · 23 Aug 2026
India’s Public Schools Face Infrastructure and Learning Crisis
Many children in India attend government schools that do not have buildings, toilets, clean drinking water, or enough teachers.
Rajasthan recently reported serious shortages in some of its schools.
Across India, the number of government schools and their students has gone down.
More families are choosing private schools, whose enrolment has increased.
In more than 100,000 schools, one teacher serves all the students.
Many children also struggle with basic reading and mathematics.
Girls and Dalit children are especially affected by these problems.
The article says India needs better planning, political commitment, and more education funding.
Rajasthan acknowledged that 611 of its 64,484 schools have no buildings, while thousands lack toilets or drinking water.
India’s government-school count fell from 15.09 lakh in 2020-21 to 14.67 lakh in 2025-26.
Government-school enrolment declined from 13.24 crore to 11.89 crore, while private-school enrolment rose by 12 percent.
More than 100,000 schools serving 29 lakh students operate with a single teacher, and many schools lack adequate facilities.
The article calls for stronger political action and higher education spending, noting that current allocation is about 4 percent of GDP.
- Who
- Government-school students, teachers, families, and education authorities in India, particularly in Rajasthan.
- What
- The article examines deteriorating public-school infrastructure, falling government-school enrolment, teacher shortages, and weak learning outcomes.
- When
- The reported national comparisons cover 2020-21 to 2025-26; the Right to Education framework has been in place for nearly 15 years.
- Where
- Across India, with specific data from Rajasthan.
- Why
- The article attributes the crisis to inadequate infrastructure, insufficient teachers, systemic problems, and education spending below the stated 6-percent-of-GDP target.
- Rajasthan schools without buildings
- 611 of 64,484 schools
- Rajasthan schools lacking toilets
- 2,047 schools
- Rajasthan schools lacking drinking water
- 1,049 schools
- Government-school decline
- 15.09 lakh schools in 2020-21 to 14.67 lakh in 2025-26
- Government-school enrolment decline
- 13.24 crore students to 11.89 crore over the same period
- Single-teacher schools
- More than 100,000 schools serving 29 lakh students
- Education spending
- About 4 percent of GDP is allocated, compared with the article’s recommended 6 percent