Need for checking school dropout rates
Education sector not only in Jammu and Kashmir but elsewhere has been facing many issues. One such critical issue is the school dropout rate that needs to be kept under check.
With the introduction of NEP 2020, special emphases has been put on transforming the school education system in the country and help curtail the student dropout rate at all levels.
However, several aberrations are being reported in many states following which the centre has directed states and UT’s to take steps to check high secondary school dropout rates.
Notably, the school dropout rates at the secondary level were found to be high in a dozen states, including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra. Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and Punjab were also found to have high school dropout rates. Even Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a dropout rate of more than 13 percent at secondary school level.
Ironically, the figures also reveal that the dropout rate at secondary level in Ladakh was 19.84 which is highest in states and UT’s across the northern region of India.
Following the higher dropout rates the central government has suggested that the states take special steps to reduce the dropout rate as laid out in the National Education Policy, 2020. The information on dropout rates was provided by Project Approval Board (PAB), which comes under the Ministry of Education. Interestingly, the meetings Samagra Shiksha programme for 2025-26 were held between April and May this year with different states.
Importantly, the government wants to achieve a 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) at the school level by 2030 as targeted in the NEP, 2020 and considers dropout as a hindrance.
According to the PAB report, the dropout rate in 2023-24 at the secondary level in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tripura, Karnataka, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu remains an area of concern.
The Centre has advised these states to initiate a special enrolment drive in the form of door-to-door surveys in school catchment areas to identify out-of-school children (OoSC) and to ensure their admissions.
The report said 57.06 per cent of school students in Delhi study in government-run schools which make up 48.99 per cent of schools in the national capital.
The PAB expressed concern at the enrolment rate in government schools and suggested that even the national capital Delhi should prioritise the improvement of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) — both measures of participation in education — at higher secondary level in the coming years.
In West Bengal, the annual dropout rate at the secondary school level is 17.87 per cent. The state was advised to check the data and work on factors responsible for the high dropout rate.
In Tamil Nadu, the dropout rate at the secondary level — 7.7 per cent — needs to be addressed. The state needs to improve on its 82.9 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the higher secondary level and ensure 100 per cent as aimed in NEP.
In Karnataka, the dropout rate at secondary levels — 22.1 per cent — is higher than the national average for secondary — 14.1 per cent– and therefore, needs to be addressed.
Notably, the dropout rate at Secondary level in Jammu and Kashmir is 13.42 while the Ladakh territory was staggering at 19.84 percent. The developments suggest curtailing secondary school dropout rates by adopting a multi-faceted approach.
The authorities at helm need to implement policies and programs, mainstream out-of-school children, besides identifying and reintegrating children who have dropped out of school. Special emphasis also needs to be put on addressing socio-economic factors and providing support and resources for such families.
