GUWAHATI: The school dropout rate remains one of the biggest problems in Assam. It is reported that 68,843 children were out of school during the 2024-25 academic year as per the Union Ministry of Education.
Regions with higher minor populations, especially in the char areas and tea gardens, have been identified. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said that the worst dropout rates are recorded in district Mankachar while the dropout rates in the areas within the tea garden are the next worst.
Reports further disclose that demography is an important factor in these differences. Districts like Dhubri, Goalpara, and Mankachar, which have higher concentration levels of minorities, depict a higher dropout rate as compared to districts like Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar, where rates are relatively lower.
The Assam government is working on this pressing issue with a number of programs in educational accessibility and infrastructures. It has initiated activities like Gunotsav and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) that have been highly useful for upgrading school structures. Besides, model schools have been established in some of the most vulnerable areas which, the minister claimed, have also yielded positive results.
To ensure regular school attendance and aid girl children, the state government initiated incentive schemes like Nijut Moina. Officials added that the lack of employment opportunities for the educated youth and economic constraints are also some of the reasons why students leave schools.
State administration is still trying to find a solution to ensure inclusive education and to counter the socio-economic factors affecting the retention in school.
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