Despite progress in recent years, India still faces challenges in ensuring universal access to education. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, in 2018, an estimated 32 million children of primary school age in India were out of school. Quality education goes beyond enrollment numbers and focuses on learning outcomes. However, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2019 indicated that only 44.2% of students in grade 5 could read a grade 2 level text in their own language. This highlights the need for improved quality of education to enhance literacy and numeracy skills.

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India has a significant youth population, and providing them with quality education and skills is crucial for employability. As per the World Bank, in 2020, the youth unemployment rate in India stood at 23.7%, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap between education and industry requirements. Ensuring quality education for girls is essential for gender equality and women's empowerment. While efforts have been made to reduce gender disparity in education, according to the District Information System for Education (DISE), the female literacy rate in India was 65.5% in 2018, compared to 80.3% for males.