Over half of Indian five-year-olds start Class 1, UNESCO warns of early entry

UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring report highlights that 51% of India’s five-year-olds are placed directly into Class 1, a figure that largely skews the global average of 27% for children a year before primary. Union education ministry data show the share climbing from roughly 35% in 2019-2020 to 60% in 2022, excluding Anganwadi centres and private kindergartens. Although the proportion of children with prior preschool experience rose from 41% in 2019 to 80% in 2025, the surge aligns with pandemic-era disruptions to early-childhood services.

The report points to structural fragmentation between the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Anganwadi network and state-run pre-primary classes, limiting quality control. It cites successful interventions, such as scholarships in rural Karnataka that lifted preschool participation by 20 points and part-time staff additions that improved instructional time. Comparisons with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan illustrate how rapid policy action can expand pre-primary access, underscoring the need for India to strengthen early-education provision alongside its National Education Policy 2020 goals.