Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The dropout rate among girl students in Assam is much higher than the national average, which is a major cause for concern.
This was revealed in information submitted by the Ministry of Education before Parliament recently. The information on school dropouts is contained in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system. The Ministry of Education has developed the UDISE+ system to record data on indicators of school education provided by all the states and Union Territories.
As per UDISE+, the level-wise dropout rate of the girls for the years 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22 is as follows:
In the primary level in 2019-20, the dropout rate of girl students in Assam at the primary level was 3.6, compared to 1.2 at the national level; in the upper primary level, the dropout rate was 2.1 in Assam, compared to 3.0 at the national level; the dropout rate in the secondary level in Assam was 32.9, while it was 15.1 at the national level.
In 2020–21, the girl dropout level in primary level was 2.3 and 0.7 in Assam and India, respectively; in upper-primary school, it was 3.6 and 2.6; and in secondary school, it was 31.4 and 13.7, respectively.
In 2021–22, the girl dropout rate was 5.2 and 1.4 at the primary level, respectively; 7.6 and 3.3 in the upper primary level; in the secondary level, the girl dropout rate was 20.7 in Assam and 12.3 at the national level.
The Ministry of Education stated the major reasons for the increased dropout rate among girl students to be mainly socioeconomic reasons such as supplementing household income, attending domestic chores, not being interested in studies, being unable to cope with studies, children suffering from some disability, poor health, education not considered necessary by the parents, preparation of competitive examinations, marriage, etc.
However, the Ministry of Education is taking measures to reduce the dropout rate among girl students by implementing the Samagra Shiksha scheme for universalization of quality education throughout the country in coordination with the States and UTs to bridge gender and social gaps at all levels of school education. Under Samagra Shiksha, various facilities are being provided for promoting girls’ education, including the opening of schools in the neighbourhood as defined by the state, free uniforms and text books to girls up to Class VIII, the provision of gender-segregated toilets in all schools, the provision of self-defence training to girls from classes VI to XII, and a stipend to Children with Special Needs (CWSN) girls from Class I to Class XII, among others. Special state-specific projects for equity have also been taken up, such as life skills awareness programmes, incinerators and sanitary pad vending machines, etc., and the vocationalization of secondary education.
Additionally, to reduce the dropout of girls at all levels of school education, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in the Educationally Backward Blocks, where the rural female literacy rate is below the national average. KGBVs are residential schools from classes VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority, and Below Poverty Line (BPL).
The Assam government has also taken up several measures to increase enrolment of girl students, increase the percentage of girls educated beyond matriculation, reduce dropouts among girl students, and eliminate the social evil of child marriage. Schemes like the distribution of free scooters and bicycles to girl students are intended to encourage girls to attend educational institutions. In 2024–25, the state government will also start providing financial assistance as an admission incentive to girl students under Mukhya Mantri Nijut Moina Aasoni.
Also Read: Letters to the Editor: Financial support for girl students (sentinelassam.com)
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