A large number of girl students in the country leave their school studies midway. In response to a question asked in the Parliament, it was revealed that the rate of school dropouts in the country is high during secondary education. The main reasons for children dropping out of school include socio-economic reasons.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Jayant Chaudhary, said that the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education has launched the Samagra Shiksha Yojana to promote quality education across the country. The aim of this scheme is to reduce gender and social differences at all levels of school education. Under Samagra Shiksha, many facilities are being provided to promote the education of girls. These include free dress and books, separate toilets on the basis of gender, self-defense training and scholarships.
What is the role of KGBV
The minister further said that Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) are located in educationally backward blocks where the rural female literacy rate is lower than the national average. These schools are residential schools from class VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and Below Poverty Line (BPL). These schools aim to reduce the dropout rate at all levels of school education for girls.
What is the reason?
Jayant Chaudhary, while answering the question, has also said that the main reason for leaving school is social and economic status. Help in family income, participation in household chores, lack of interest in studies, health problems and indifference of parents are some of the main reasons for leaving school education.
Level-wise dropout rate of girl students for the years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22
| Educational level | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
| Primary | 1.24 | 0.69 | 1.35 |
| Upper Primary | 2.98 | 2.61 | 3.31 |
| Secondary | 15.07 | 13.71 | 12.25 |
