Assam’s school dropout rates alarmingly above national averages, revealed in Parliament

Terming education as one of the key inputs for balanced social and fiscal development, the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) data reveals the average annual dropout rate in lower primary (LP) schools in the state stood at 6.02 per cent while that of Upper Primary Level stood at 8.82 per cent in 2021-22.

The information was revealed in the Parliament in response to a question raised by Assam Congress Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi.

Further taking account of the data provided by the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), the school dropout rate at the lower primary stage in Assam is over 6 per cent compared to 1.45 per cent at the national level; the dropout rate at the upper primary stage is 8.8 per cent compared to 3.02 per cent at the national level; and the dropout rate at the secondary level is 20.25 per cent compared to 12.6 per cent at the national level.

Also Read: Assam floods claim 117 lives in 2024, 880 in five years: Government tells Rajya Sabha

Earlier the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data revealed that the LP school dropout rate was 6.02 per cent in 2021-22, rising from 4.3 per cent in 2019-20 and 3.1 per cent in 2018-19.

Meanwhile, earlier in May 2024, the education department reported a decline in the number of state government-run schools and students obtaining grades during an evaluation exercise compared to the previous year.

The government announced the results of ‘Gunotsav 2024’, a statewide assessment conducted from January 3 to February 8 to evaluate the performance of 38,97,323 students enrolled in 43,491 schools. Schools with an enrollment of less than 30 students were excluded from the grading calculation.

According to the report, 32,421 schools received grades this year as against 41,507 in 2023, down by 3.78 per cent.

Out of these, 11,592 schools got A+ grades, 14,933 received A, 4,603 got B, 1,032 got C and 261 got D.

In the year-ago period, 12,047, 19,085, 7,673, 1,948 and 754 schools were marked with A+, A, B, C and D grades, respectively.

Likewise, 38,97,323 students received grades in 2024 compared to 41,35,163 last year, a fall of 5.75 per cent.

A total of 16,12,184 students received an A+ grade, 11,52,671 got A, 5,95,865 got B, 2,57,313 got C and 2,79,290 got D. In 2023, 15,77,966, 13,44,188, 6,85,372, 2,63,589 and 2,64,048 students had received A+, A, B, C and D grades.