India’s education story is often narrated through expansion like more schools, higher enrolment, new institutions, digital initiatives and ambitious policy announcements. But the latest UNESCO SDG 4 Scorecard invites more uncomfortable questions.The question is are our investments and systems doing enough to ensure that children not only enter school, but stay, progress and complete their education. The latest assessment provides important signals that deserve serious reflection by policymakers, educators and the relevant institutions. 

The 2026 SDG 4 Scorecard, prepared by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics and the Global Education Monitoring Report, assesses countries against the education benchmarks they have set for themselves. It is therefore not simply a ranking of countries or a declaration of success and failure. Rather, it examines whether countries are progressing sufficiently towards their own commitments. UNESCO's assessment places particular emphasis on completion rates and highlights the continuing difficulty of achieving universal completion, particularly at the upper-secondary level.

Educational Financing and Expenditure

India’s education financing figures deserve particular attention. Public expenditure on education is around 4.1% of GDP. While this technically remains above UNESCO’s broad minimum reference threshold of 4%, it is considerably below India’s own aspiration of allocating 6% of GDP to education. The 6% goal, reiterated in the National Education Policy 2020, has long been regarded as essential for strengthening the public education system, improving infrastructure, supporting teachers and ensuring equitable access to quality education.

The picture becomes more concerning when education expenditure is measured as a proportion of total government expenditure. India’s latest figure is around 14.2%, below UNESCO’s 15% reference threshold and also below India’s own national benchmark of 17% for 2025. This distinction is important. 

The issue is not simply whether governments are spending more money in absolute terms. It is also about the priority accorded to education within overall public expenditure. A country aspiring to become a knowledge-driven economy cannot afford to treat education as merely another competing budgetary demand.

However, financing is only one part of the story. The more fundamental question is what happens to children after they enter school. India has made considerable progress in enrolment, but enrolment alone cannot be the ultimate measure of educational success. A child entering school but leaving before completing secondary education represents an unfinished educational journey. Retention, transition and completion therefore need to become much more central to the way we evaluate the performance of our education system.

High Dropout Rate Concerning 

India had set a national benchmark of 98.5% for lower-secondary completion by 2025, with the ambition of reaching 100% by 2030. UNESCO's assessment indicates that India is not on course to meet the 2025 benchmark. This should concern us because lower secondary is a crucial stage at which many educational journeys begin to diverge. Children facing academic difficulties, poverty, family responsibilities, migration or inadequate support can gradually disengage from schooling and eventually drop out.

The challenge becomes even more pronounced at the upper-secondary level. India’s national benchmark was 84% completion by 2025, rising to 88% by 2030. Yet the latest available UNESCO data put India's upper-secondary completion rate at around 63.9% in 2024. The gap between the current position and the national ambition is therefore substantial. Upper-secondary education is particularly important because it connects school education with higher education, vocational training, employability and the broader opportunities available in adult life.

These figures should also make us rethink the way we discuss dropout and retention. A dropout number is not merely an administrative statistic. Behind every percentage is a young person whose educational trajectory has been interrupted. The reasons may include poverty, academic difficulty, lack of parental support, distance, migration, family responsibilities, disengagement or the belief that education offers inadequate returns. Addressing these factors requires stronger early-warning systems, academic support, counselling, parent engagement and meaningful pathways towards higher education and employment.

Gap Between Ambition and Outcome

India has undoubtedly made significant progress in expanding access to education. The UNESCO Scorecard should therefore not be interpreted as a declaration that India's education system has failed. It should instead be read as an accountability document. Our targets tell us where we intend to go, while the data tell us whether the pace of progress is sufficient. The uncomfortable gap between ambition and outcomes is precisely where serious educational policy must begin.

The message is clear. India needs not merely more children entering classrooms, but more children staying, completing and learning. Achieving the ambitions of NEP 2020 and SDG 4 will require sustained public investment, stronger secondary-school retention, better support for vulnerable learners and a sharper focus on completion. The real measure of educational progress is not simply how many children we enrol, but how many we successfully carry to the finish line.

(The author is an Indian educationist and columnist based in Kupwara, Jammy and Kashmir who writes on educational, social and youth related issues. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at rayeesmasroor111@gmail.com)