What happened
UDISE 2025–26 reporting has revived a basic policy question: are children with special needs actually being enrolled in schools at the scale expected from disability prevalence in the population? The data reported in the feature suggest a large gap between estimated need and recorded school enrolment, with possible undercounting in school reporting systems.
Background and earlier position
School enrolment data have long been used to track access to education, but disability measurement remains weak because India does not have frequent, recent, child-specific disability counts at school age. The feature relies on older census-based disability counts, National Family Health Survey-5 disability figures, and government population projections to bridge that gap.
What the data show
The feature says UDISE records show about 21.66 lakh children with special needs enrolled in schools and describes that figure as broadly stagnant over eight years. It also says census-based counts from 2011 suggest around 32.5 lakh children with disabilities below age nine, while the number rises to 78.7 lakh when the age range is extended to 10–19 years.
Related current affairs
- ADIP, SIPDA-related disability components, and skill/education support for persons with disabilities (including CDEIC)
- MoU launches DISSSA campaign with Brahma Kumaris/RERF to empower persons with disabilities (Divyangjan)
- Parliament Question Reply: Availability and Deployment of Special Educators in Schools under Samagra Shiksha
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) addresses child sex ratio and empowerment of girls and women
- NEP 2020 to enable inclusive, skill-centric and future-ready education: MoS Education at State/UT Education Ministers conclave
- Acid ingestion included in amended Act: Centre to SC on redefining “acid attack victim”