He is now 24, assisting his father in his kirana shop. He is a school dropout. His scores were lower. He would barely write but could repair anything from bikes, phones, and electrical appliances.
He could remember his studies but could not articulate them with his pen on an answer sheet. He had a Learning Disability or Adhyayan Akshamata. He was never diagnosed and was forced to quit school as he was blamed for being lazy, mischievous, and not inclined to study.
Today, if you have a child having a learning disability, the chances of your child being diagnosed in India are very bleak, and then he will gravitate to an unskilled job and be frustrated all his life. Most of them suffer from distress, depression, and/or behavioural issues as they experience rejection. A microscopic minority breaks free and carves its own future well.
Let us look at some figures. In 2025, 1692794 students appeared for the 12th std across the country in the CBSE board. Only 5712 children registered with a certificate of some disability. They belonged to all the disabilities and not only Learning Disability.
The figures add up to 0.3374 % of all the disabilities, while all over the world, the figures for learning disability alone are 5 - 10%. Even if we assume a conservative figure of 5 % only with learning disability in India, 84, 639 students should have been identified as L.D. But sadly, the total figures for all disabilities identified were only 5712.
In 2025, in the 10th std CBSE, 23,71939 students appeared, and the total sum of all disabilities registered was 9248 only. ie, 0.3898 only. With a lower assumption of 5% Learning disability in India, a huge number of 1,18,596 students went undiagnosed
Thousands would have suffered under the cane of the teachers and families for no fault of their. Students drop out of school not only due to poverty and violence but also Learning disability.
This is not only a sin but also a grave crime against children.
I have been tracking these figures for a very long time, and nothing has changed. The CBSE website is very attractive with a lot of learning material, but we are stuck there, and the water has not percolated to the last child.
Earlier, the numbers of Learning Disability and Autism were calculated by the CBSE separately, but now all are put under the banner of CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ( CWSN )
So where are the fault lines? The PM has an extraordinary vision, and the Govt should understand that the kids between 12-18 today will achieve a VIKSIT BHARAT in 1947 only if they experience genuine inclusion.
The vision of the PM does not translate into action, always with the bureaucracy infested and infected with sloppiness across the years?
We need the precision of the BRAHMOS & the CHANDRAYAN in the field of education!
The PM should ask his education minister in his cabinet meetings: Why are learning disabilities not diagnosed early? Why are the figures so negligible?
How can we promise a Skilled India, a Naya Bharat, and a Viksit Bharat without securing the foundations…. the well-being of our children
