SHILLONG, June 11: In what may be termed as evidential sign of the sorry state of affairs in the education sector in Meghalaya, the state has recorded the highest percentage of school dropouts at the secondary level in 2021-22. Meghalaya’s figure of 21.7% is the highest in the country and way above the national average of 12.6%.
Besides Meghalaya, the other states which have recorded dropout percentages higher than the national average are Bihar (20.46%), Assam (20.3%), Gujarat (17.85%), Punjab (17.2%), Andhra Pradesh (16.7%), and Karnataka (14.6%).
This information was collated from the minutes of the Project Approval Board (PAB) meetings held under the Ministry of Education to discuss the implementation of the “Samagra Shiksha” programme for 2023-24.
The meetings with states and union territories took place between March and May this year.
The central government views dropout as a barrier to achieving the new National Education Policy’s aim of 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) at the school level by 2030, according to officials.
The survey of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) last year states that in India, 33% of girls drop out of school due to domestic work. It was also found in many places that after leaving school, children started working as labourers with their families or cleaning people’s houses.
It is pertinent to note that BJP leader and advisor to the Education Department, HM Shangpliang had recently expressed concern about the increasing rate of school dropout in Meghalaya and said a special study would be conducted on it.
“It is a big concern for us that the dropout rate is increasing by the day. We will be conducting a special study to know the reasons and find a solution,” he said.
Stating that the New Education Policy provides opportunities and avenues for such students who cannot carry on their studies due to many factors, he said these students should also be given an opportunity to take up certain vocational skills for helping them earn their livelihoods.
Shangpliang said the school dropouts would be kept in mind for vocational skill development, which would be a part of the education policy of the state.
“We intend to have skill development from classes 8 to 12. The students will be imparted different skills over five years so that they can involve themselves in some kind of skill or the other,” he said. (With PTI inputs)
