In 2016, some learning outcomes for 111 million school-age students between ages six and 15 remained mostly unchanged in BIMARU states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh), when compared to 2014, after declining for four years, according to the 2016 Annual Status of Education Report released in January 2017.

If the math and reading skills of these 111 million children–nearly half of India’s 252 million school-age children–cannot be improved, it is unlikely that India will be able to completely reap the demographic dividend from its working-age ...