Lok Sabha Question No. 2672 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-14
Subject: School Dropouts
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI, RAKESH SINGH, C.S. PUTTARAJU, MANOJ RAJORIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2672 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 th  March, 2016

## School Dropouts

†2672.   SHRI RAJU SHETTY:

SHRI RAKESH SINGH:

SHRI C.S. PUTTA RAJU:

DR. MANOJ RAJORIA:

## Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the high school dropout rate in the country;
- (b) if  so,  whether any survey has been conducted in this regard and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether  the  said  survey  has  revealed  that  the  percentage  of  school  dropouts  among Muslims and Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes is much higher than the national average and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the survey also reveals that the number of school dropouts in the age group of 6-13 years has decreased and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)  the  remedial  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to minimize dropout rate in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

## (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  to (c)  :      As per the annual Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data on  various  educational  indicators  including  annual  average  dropout  rates  collected  by  National University of Educational and Planning and Administration (NUEPA), the annual average dropout rates  of  children  pertaining  to  Scheduled  Castes  (SC),  Scheduled  Tribe  (ST)  and  Muslim  at primary and upper primary levels during 2012-13 and 2013-14 are  as given below:-

| Year    | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   | Annual Average dropout rate   |
|---------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|         | SC                            | SC                            | ST                            | ST                            | Muslim                        | Muslim                        | National                      | National                      |
|         | Primary                       | Upper Primary                 | Primary                       | Upper Primary                 | Primary                       | Upper Primary                 | Primary                       | Upper Primary                 |
| 2012-13 | 5.2%                          | 12.9%                         | 9.0%                          | 6.2%                          | 2.5%                          | 5.6%                          | 5.6%                          | 2.7%                          |
| 2013-14 | 6.1%                          | 4.6%                          | 8.4%                          | 7.9%                          | 5.6%                          | 6.8%                          | 4.7%                          | 3.1%                          |

The statement showing the state-wise details on annual average dropout rate of SCs, STs, Muslims and at National  level for  primary and upper primary during 2012-13 & 2013-14 are at Annexure, which shows that the annual average dropout rates of SCs, STs & Muslims are slightly higher than the national average.

(d) : As per UDISE, the number of dropout children have reduced from 75.48 lakh in 2012-13  to  62.24  lakh  in  2013-14  at  primary  level.      However,  the  number  of  dropout children  have  increased  from  17.50  lakh  to  20.61  lakh  during  the  same  period  at  upper primary level.

(e)   :      SSA programme provides a number of incentives to encourage enrolment and retention and to reduce the out of school or dropout children in schools.  These include enhancing access to primary, upper primary schools, strengthening school infrastructure like school building, additional classrooms, toilets, drinking water facilities etc., improving the teachers pupil ratio as well as strategies for gender positive textbooks, gender sensitization of teachers and educational administrators.    In addition, 3602 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas or residential schools for girls  belonging  predominantly  to  the  SC,  ST,  OBC  and  minorities  at  upper  primary  level  in educationally backward blocks of the country have been set up.  The mid-day meal programme is implemented in elementary schools, to help retain children in schools.

The identification of Special Focus Districts (SFDs) is an important step in the direction of providing universal access & retention and quality education to SCs, STs and minority students at the elementary level. These districts are identified based on indicators like concentration of out of school children, high gender gap, low retention rate and infrastructure gap as well as concentration of SC/ST/Minority population.  During 2014-15 and 2015-16, 42.8%  and 49% of the funds under SSA respectively were targeted to SFDs.

****

## ANNEXURE AS REFFERRED IN THE REPLY OF THE PART (a) to (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUE SHRI RAJU SHETTY, SHRI RAKESH SINGH, SHRI C. S. PUTTA RAJU AND DR. MANOJ RAJORIA REGARDI

The State-wise details on annual average dropout rates of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs),  Muslims and at N during 2012-13 & 2013-14

| Name of State/UTs                 | SC      | SC             | SC      | SC             | ST      | ST             | ST       | ST             | Muslim   | Muslim         | Muslim   |
|-----------------------------------|---------|----------------|---------|----------------|---------|----------------|----------|----------------|----------|----------------|----------|
| Name of State/UTs                 | 2012-13 | 2012-13        | 2013-14 | 2013-14        | 2012-13 | 2012-13        | 2013-14  | 2013-14        | 2012-13  | 2012-13        | 2        |
| Name of State/UTs                 | Primary | Uppper Primary | Primary | Uppper Primary | Primary | Uppper Primary | Primary  | Uppper Primary | Primary  | Uppper Primary | Primar   |
| A&N Islands                       | -       | -              | -       | -              | 0       | 1.1            | 4.3      | 2              | 0        | 0              | 1.       |
| Andhra Pradesh                    | 5.6     | 5.3            | 3.5     | 3.5            | 12.5    | 7              | 10       | 7.4            | 5.3      | 5.5            |          |
| Arunachal Pradesh                 | -       | -              | -       | -              | 21.7    | 5.8            | 16       | 6.4            | 0        | 0              |          |
| Assam                             | 6.3     | 28.2           | 3.6     | 6.1            | 10.4    | 6.2            | 5.9      | 3.5            | 12.7     | 18.5           | 7.       |
| Bihar                             | 15.9    | 33.7           | 1.4     | 1.9            | 20.4    | 11.5           | 15.5     | 12.3           | 0        | 17.9           |          |
| Chandigarh                        | 0       | 0              | 0       | 0              | -       | -              |          |                | 0        | 3.5            |          |
| Chhattisgarh                      | 0       | 21.9           | 8.9     | 12             | 6.7     | 5.3            | 5.8      | 5.3            | 0        | 0              | 3.       |
| D &NHaveli                        | 12.6    | 28.2           | 7.5     | 4.1            | 2.5     | 3.5            | 0.4      | 4.3            | 2        | 12.7           | 13.      |
| Daman &Diu                        | 0       | 5.9            | 0       | 0              | 2.7     | 0              | 0        | 1.9            | 0        | 8.7            |          |
| Delhi                             | 0       | 0              | 0       | 0              | 0       | 0              | 7.9      | 4.1            | 0        | 0              |          |
| Goa                               | 0       | 6.4            | 0       | 0              | 0       | 0              | 0        | 0              | 0        | 0              |          |
| Gujarat                           | 0       | 10.1           | 2.8     | 6              | 4.1     | 0              | 5.3      | 9.6            | 0        | 0              | 0.       |
| Haryana                           | 1.9     | 3.7            | 2.4     | 3.4            | -       | -              | -        | -              | 0        | 5.3            |          |
| Himachal Pradesh                  | 0.2     | 1.2            | 0.2     | 1.4            | 0.4     | 0              | 1.8      | 2.8            | 7.1      | 0              |          |
| Jammu& Kashmir                    | 2.9     | 12.9           | 2.6     | 3.3            | 13      | 11.2           | 10.5     | 11.2           | 10.8     | 8.1            | 7.       |
| Jharkhand                         | 10      | 22.5           | 7.7     | 7.7            | 11.8    | 10             | 10       | 8.4            | 10.8     | 14             | 12.      |
| Karnataka                         | 2.6     | 8.2            | 6.4     | 9.9            | 8.8     | 12.3           | 1.2      | 4.1            | 3.5      | 3.3            | 1        |
| Kerala                            | 0       | 2.4            | 0       | 0              | 13.8    | 30             | 12.6     | 15             | 0        | 0              |          |
| Lakshadweep                       |         | -              | -       | -              | 1.6     | 0.1            | 2.3      | 0              | 2.7      | 0              | 2.       |
| Madhya Pradesh                    | 2.7     | 27.8           | 5.8     | 9.6            | 8.5     | 6.9            | 9.4      | 12.3           | 1.4      | 9.9            | 11.      |
| Maharashtra                       | 2       | 10.1           | 1.3     | 2              | 6.2     | 9.2            | 4        | 6.4            | 1.1      | 4.2            | 1.       |
| Manipur                           | 11.7    | 7.2            | 18.1    | 15.2           | 14.1    | 1.2            | 14.9     | 6.8            | 7.2      | 0              | 15.      |
| Meghalaya                         | 6.8     | 21.5           | 0       | 0              | 14.8    | 9.3            | 10.4     | 9.6            | 0        | 0              |          |
| Nagaland                          |         | 0              |         |                |         | 11             |          | 10.4           |          |                |          |
|                                   | 0       |                | -       | -              | 4.9     |                | 9.4      |                | 15.5     | 0              |          |
| Odisha                            | 2.7     | 5.1            | 3.6     | 4.8            | 7.1     | 6.8            | 6.8      | 6              | 0        | 0              | 13.      |
| Puducherry                        | 0       | 2.2            | 0       | 0              | 44      | 53.7           |          |                | 0        | 0              |          |
| Punjab Rajasthan                  | 1.9 6.9 | 2.8 9.2        | 2.7 10  | 3.8 6.1        | 0 9.9   | 0 4.4          | 0        | 0              | 0 2      | 0 0            | 12.      |
| Tamil                             | 0       | 0              | 3       |                |         |                | 10.9     | 6.3            | 0        | 0              |          |
| Sikkim                            | 1.8     |                |         | 0              | 0       | 0              | 6.6      | 4.6            |          |                |          |
| Nadu                              |         | 6.6            | 2.4     | 0.3            | 6.7     | 17.2           | 7.8      | 6.5            | 0        | 0              |          |
|                                   | NA      |                | NA      | NA             |         | NA             |          |                |          | NA             | N        |
| Telangana                         |         | NA             |         |                | NA      |                | NA       | NA             | NA       |                |          |
| Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand | 1.8 5   | 21.7 16.3      | 0 11.6  | 1.6 5.5        | 3.4 7.5 | 0 0.3          | 3.1 16.9 | 3.5 0          | 0 0      | 3.2 0          | 10.      |
| West Bengal                       | 6.6     | 8.4            | 2.7 4.2 | 3.1 4.1        | 0       | 0 6.3          | 5        | 0 6            | 18.8 8.9 | 12.8 12.3      | 1 5.     |
|                                   | 4.4     | 7.1            |         |                | 9.7     |                | 8.4      |                |          |                |          |

All States

Source:

UDISE

5.2

12.9

6.1

4.6

9

6.2

8.4

7.9

2.5

5.6

5.