2.1.4 Basic amenities, infrastructure, and resources Absence of basic facilities adversely influences the enrolment and retention at the school level. India took up a drive to ensure the presence of functional toilets in all schools in 2014-15 and completed the same in record time. Similarly, the Jal Shakti Ministry’s prioritization of schools for provisioning of drinking water in schools has resulted in 98.22 per cent schools having drinking water facilities as per Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data of 2021-22. The huge reduction in the dropout rates and significant increase in Gross Enrolment Ratio can be considered to be a result of these interventions. Now the need is to focus on completing the provisioning of libraries, electrification, and ramps in the small percentage of schools that do not have them. 2.1.5 Access to secondary education While the national average secondary education Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for secondary level is almost 80 per cent in 2021-22, the GER is much lower in some states. With the release of the National Education Policy 2020, the school education sector through its Samagra Shiksha scheme is focusing on providing equitable access to secondary education. The Gross Access Ratio (GAR) to secondary schools is now over 95 per cent as per UDISE+ data of 2021-22. 2.2 Challenges related to inclusive education 2.2.1 Inclusion Although NSSO does not provide data on children with disabilities, but the SRIIMRB survey in 2014 shows that almost one-third (28%) of Children with Special Needs (CwSN) are not in school. The reason could, of course, be the higher level of disabilities and the kind of disability. Since 2014, concerted efforts have been made to ensure enrolment of children with disabilities in neighbourhood schools. The Samagra Shiksha scheme provides for various aids and accessories required by such children. A huge number of e-resources and physical teaching and learning material, such as the Barkha series, have been prepared by NCERT to provide easy access to learning for children with disabilities. The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India, in September 2022, even notified a 1:10 pupilspecial educator ratio in primary schools for learners with disabilities, and 1:15 in upper primary onwards.13 This step shall go a long way in establishing inclusivity at all levels in school education. 2.2.2 Language as a barrier to inclusion According to the Census of India,14 2011, there are 121 mother tongues, of which 22 languages are included in the eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Each of the 121 Amendment to the Schedule of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, Ministry of Education, Government of India,https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/rte/Gazette_ rte.pdf 14 Census of India 2011, Paper 1 of 2018, Language – Indian States and Union Territories, https:// censusindia.gov.in 13 Journal of the National Human Rights Commission, Vol. 22, 2023 45