India, Oct. 9 -- More than half of India's five-year-olds are enrolled in primary school rather than pre-primary education, raising concerns about whether children are entering formal schooling before the recommended age, according to UNESCO's 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report released on Friday.

"On average, 27% of students aged one year before primary already attend primary," the report said, adding that this global figure is "largely driven by India, where 51% of 5-year-olds are enrolled in primary rather than in pre-primary education". It noted that this share "likely increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when early childhood education services were severely disrupted".

The report cited India's Unified District Informa...