Lok Sabha Question No. 1259 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Dropout Rate of Tribal Children
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1259

ANSWERED ON 28.07.2025

## Dropout Rate of Tribal Children

1259. Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has noted that droupout rate among tribal children is still higher than the national average;
- (b) the details of the steps taken/being taken to reduce droupout in tribal dominated blocks and districts;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  mapped  areas  with  the  highest  dropout  rates  among  Scheduled  Tribe students;
- (d) whether the Government has launched any special scholarships or incentives for families to retain tribal children in schools, if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government expand hostel facilities for tribal girls and boys in remote areas and if so, the details thereof;
- (f)  whether the Government has taken any new initiatives to bring back out-of-school tribal children; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to  (g):  The  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  (DoSEL),  Ministry  of  Education  has developed the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system to record data on  indicators  of  school  education  provided  by  all  the  States  and  Union  Territories.  Dropout  rate  of Schedule Tribe for India for the year 2023-24 is available at https://www.education.gov.in/en/parl\_ques.

Further, based on the recommendation of National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), w.e.f., 2022-23 UDISE+ has been revitalized, to capture individual student wise data and created student's registry. There has been a complete change in the manner of collection of data from 2022-23 onwards from gross enrolment data to individual student data. It makes comparison of data from previous years statistically different/inchoate.

The Department of School Education and Literacy with effect from 2018-19 is implementing an Integrated Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education- Samagra Shiksha. Under the scheme, financial  assistance  is  provided  to  States  and  UTs  for  undertaking  various  activities  for  reducing dropout rate, including opening/strengthening of new schools upto senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional classrooms, setting up, up-gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, setting up of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, Construction of 492 hostels have been sanctioned under PM-JANMAN with the allocation of Rs.123458.63 lakh for the FY 2023-24 and 2024-25 and 2025-26, construction of hostels under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for unsaturated ST population, free uniforms, free text books, transport allowance and undertaking enrolment & retention drives.  Under 'Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman' (PM POSHAN) one hot cooked meal in Government and Government aided schools is provided to students at  the  elementary  level  of  education,  including  Balvatika,  which  encourages  the  children  to  attend schools regularly and contributes towards reduction in dropout rate.

Further,  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  (MoTA)  is  implementing  the  following  Scholarship Schemes to promote and encourage basic and higher education amongst ST population: -

- Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class IX and X)
- Post Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class XI and above)
- National Fellowship for Higher Education for ST students
- National Scholarship for Higher Education for ST students (Top Class)
- National Overseas Scholarship for ST students.

Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) was started in the year 2018-19 to provide quality education at par with Navodaya Vidyalaya to the tribal children in their own environment. Under the new scheme, Government decided to establish 440 EMRSs, one EMRS in every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons (as per census 2011). 288 EMRS schools were initially funded under Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution, which are being upgraded as per the new model. Accordingly, MoTA has set the target to set up total of 728 EMRSs benefiting around 3.5 lakh ST students across the country.

Under  the  scheme  of  Grant-in-Aid  to  Voluntary  Organizations  working  for  the  welfare  of Scheduled  Tribes,  MoTA  funds  projects  in  the  fields  of  education  and  health,  covering  residential schools, non-residential schools, hostels, mobile dispensaries, ten or more bedded hospitals, livelihood, etc.

Under Samagra Shiksha Financial assistance upto ₹ 2000 per annum is being provided for Out of  School  Children  of  age  group  of  16-19  years,  belonging  to  socio-economically  disadvantaged groups,  for  completing  their  education  through  NIOS/SIOS,  for  accessing  course  materials  and certification.  Further,  special  training  for  age-appropriate  admission  of  out  of  school  children  and residential as well as non- residential training for older children, seasonal hostels / residential camps, special training centres at worksites, transport/ escort facility are also supported to bring out of school children to the formal schooling system.

In  national  workshops  and  directives  etc.,  all  States/UTs  have  been  directed  to  reduce  the number  of  Out  of  School  Children  (OoSC).  States/UTs  have  also  been  requested  to  participate  in 'Bringing  Children  Back  to  School'  campaign  with  the  full  and  active  engagement  of  School Management Committees and community involvement through Panchayati Raj Institutions. Further, States and UTs have been requested for providing their active support and personal attention to ensure that preventive measures and actions are adopted to retain the children in school.

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