What Indian Cockroaches Reveal About Global Climate Change

India’s deepening education crisis is exposing severe systemic dysfunction as student-led movements challenge inadequate public school infrastructure and declining state investment across multiple states. This widespread deterioration in foundational learning and school conditions threatens the country’s economic stability, carrying significant implications for global economic growth and labor markets.

Student Protests Target Broken Public School Infrastructure

School students across India have launched localized protests demanding basic educational infrastructure that the state has failed to provide nearly 80 years after independence. Students in Uttar Pradesh have marched with national flags to demand a long-overdue road leading to their school. In Rajasthan, students at a government school for hearing and speech-impaired children staged protests over a lack of decent toilets and proper classrooms, prompting the suspension of the school principal.

Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, schoolgirls protested a bus fare hike that burdened their families, while students in Maharashtra organized an indefinite sit-in to demand teachers. These demonstrations follow nationwide youth protests from the previous month—popularly dubbed the “cockroach movement”—which forced the government to let go of its education minister following satirical campaigns targeting question paper leaks and unemployment.

Declining State Budgets and the Rise of One-Teacher Schools

Under the administration of Narendra Modi, federal budget outlays for education declined from 4.6 percent in 2013-14 to 2.5 percent in 2025-26. Over the past decade, an average of 25 government schools closed every day across the country. Government statistics show that there are about 100,000 schools that operate with one teacher, who is frequently burdened with administrative and election duties that leave them with little time to teach.

This chronic underinvestment forces poor families to rely on under-resourced public institutions while private equity is marching into Indian classrooms. According to a parliamentary panel report released this week, nearly 73 percent of students enrolled in government and government-aided schools drop out before completing their higher secondary education. The World Bank reports that India has the highest percentage of Grade 2 students in the world who cannot perform simple two-digit subtraction, and ranks second after Malawi among 12 countries with the highest percentage of Grade 2 students unable to read a single word of a short text.

Economic Fallout and Stalling Growth

The structural collapse of the education system has severely impacted India’s labor market and broader economic development. Economic growth has been collapsing, foreign investors are taking their money out, and industrial dependence on China is increasing. Graduates face severe employment hurdles; nearly 70 percent of India’s unemployed youth are graduates, a proportion that has doubled in the last two decades. Wages have been stagnating for years, household debts are rising, and an increasing share of workers has returned to agriculture.

Data indicates that only one in 20 individuals in the 15–29 age group holds a regular salaried job with a contract and social security. The World Bank notes that Indians are the least likely among peer countries to break out of the education and income bracket into which they are born. This entrenched inequality concentrates gains in a narrow segment of society, suppressing demand and preventing the broad-based prosperity required for sustainable, long-term national development.

Frequently Asked Questions

What triggered the recent student protests in India?

Initial youth protests—known as the “cockroach movement”—were sparked by question paper leaks and unemployment, leading to the education minister’s resignation. Subsequent school-level protests were triggered by a lack of basic infrastructure, including unpaved roads, absent teachers, deficient classroom facilities, and rising public transport costs.

How has government spending on education changed in recent years?

According to federal budget figures, government spending on education dropped from 4.6 percent in 2013-14 to 2.5 percent in 2025-26.

What are the primary learning challenges identified in Indian schools?

A parliamentary panel report found that nearly 73 percent of students drop out before finishing higher secondary education. Additionally, World Bank data shows that India has the highest percentage of Grade 2 students unable to perform simple two-digit subtraction.

How does the education crisis affect India’s economy?

The lack of quality education limits workforce productivity and innovation, leaving nearly 70 percent of unemployed youth as graduates and forcing more workers into agriculture.