As many as 6.54 crore people in the age group of 5-19 years in the country have never been to school, while another 4.49 crore dropped out of school in the last decade.
According to 2011 Census data, 38.01 crore people in the age group of 5-19 years. Of these, 26.98 crore persons (71 percent) are attending educational institutions. Besides, 4.49 crore people (11.8 percent) have attended schools earlier. Besides, 6.54 crore persons (17.2 percent) have never been to school.
There were about 65.7 lakh disabled people in the age group of 5-19 in India, according to the Census data.
In all, 17.5 lakh physically challenged persons (26.7 percent) never attended school, eight lakh (12.1 percent) dropped out of school in the last decade. Besides, 40.2 lakh physically challenged people (61.2 percent) are enrolled in educational institutions.
The proportion of disabled persons who never attended any educational institution in 2011 was found to be the highest among persons with multiple disabilities (54.4 percent), followed by those with mental illnesses (50.3 percent) and "mental retardation" (41.2 percent). In all, 17.7 percent persons with 'any other disability' never went to school.
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