Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Assam has recorded a remarkable improvement in reducing school dropout rates across all levels. This fact has got reflection in the 2024–25 Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report. However, despite significant progress, the state’s dropout figures still remain higher than the national averages.
At the primary level, Assam’s dropout rate fell sharply from 6.2% in 2023–24 to 3.8% in 2024–25, closing in on the national average of 2.3 percent. The upper primary level also showed a positive trend, with the rate of dropping from 8.2% to 5% during the same period.
The most notable progress was at the secondary level, where Assam brought down its dropout rate from 25.1% to 17.5%—a substantial 7.6 percentage point improvement. Yet, this figure remains significantly higher than the new national secondary average of 8.2% for 2024–25.
Nationally, the 2024–25 UDISE+ data shows continued improvement across all school levels. At the preparatory stage, the dropout rate declined from 3.7% to 2.3%, the middle stage from 5.2% to 3.5%, and the secondary level from 10.9% to 8.2%.
In 2022–23, the state’s dropout rates stood at 8.5% (primary), 10.3% (upper primary), and 29.5% (secondary) — all well above the then national averages of 7.8%, 8.1%, and 16.4%, respectively.
Significantly, the school dropout rates in most of the states in the Northeast are better than those of Assam.
While the latest figures highlight Assam’s steady progress in keeping children in school, experts say sustained efforts are needed to bridge the remaining gap with national standards — particularly at the secondary level, where socio-economic factors, early marriages, and limited access to higher education still contribute to dropouts.
Also Read: Assam's UDISE+ Report Shows Big Gains in School Enrollment, Retention.