Last updated time: 14 March 2023, 14:24 IST
A total of 5,41,247 students filled the forms to appear for the exam in Odisha this year (Representative Image)
The high school dropout rate in Odisha increased to 27.2 percent in 2021-22 from 16.06 percent in 2020-21. This is two times higher than the average national level of the last academic year (12.6 percent).
An alarming trend of dropouts at the secondary level has rung bells in Odisha. At least 18,000 students in the state will not be able to appear for the combined II examination that began on March 10. According to Hindustan Times, 14,000 candidates did not appear for the Combined I exam held in November last year. .
The increase in the number of dropouts in one school year by 4,000 is a cause for concern. This may be a break from the recent progress made in reducing the number of students who did not appear for exams despite the increase being recorded. In 2022, 44,000 students did not write the test.
The high school dropout rate in Odisha increased to 27.2 percent in 2021-22 from 16.06 percent in 2020-21. This is two times higher than the national average of the last academic year (12.6 percent).
Schools and Mass Education Minister Sameer Ranjan Dash attributed the drop in exam attendance to the withdrawal of exam fees. “After paying the exam fee, the student will have to appear for the exam while filling the form. “Since the government has waived the tuition fee this year, it is clear that the student is not forced to appear for the exam and may drop out,” he said. This year, a total of 5,41,247 students filled the forms to appear for the exam in Odisha.
“I don’t know the exact number of students who dropped out, I will ask about it after the exam is over. “The department will carefully look into this issue and determine its reasons,” he added.
There is another troubling pattern that school dropout statistics clearly show. These rates are higher among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In the 2020-21 academic year, more than 49,000 students dropped out before entering upper secondary. Among them, 15,792 students belonged to the tribal category. Another 11,045 students were from SC category.
This year, the largest number of school leavers – 1199 students – is from Bolangir district, where there are many tribes. Coastal Balasore has 1158 dropouts. Similarly, 500 students from the Open School and Madhyama examinations failed to appear for the test. Last year, the state government had announced the upgradation of 100 high schools in the academic year 2023-24 to check the high dropout rate in Odisha.
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