Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced a waiver of admission fees, including examination fees, to encourage the enrolment of dropout and out-of-school children aged between 14 and 18 years. The benefit will apply to students seeking admission to the State Institute of Open Schooling. The School and Mass Education Department has issued a formal notification to implement the decision.

Steps to track and bring back dropouts

The decision comes amid growing concern over school dropouts in the state. Recently, the School and Mass Education Department directed its field staff to closely monitor student attendance at the elementary level. Under the directive, students who remain absent for a week or more are to be tracked through home visits.

District and block education officers have been asked to ensure that headmasters, teachers and members of school management committees visit the homes of such students. The objective is to understand the reasons behind prolonged absence and take corrective steps to prevent permanent dropouts.

Audit flags worrying trends

High dropout rates have remained a persistent challenge for Odisha. A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India highlighted that dropout rates from Class II to Class XII ranged between 3.12 per cent and 7.26 per cent during the period from 2018 to 2023.

The audit report also pointed out that more than 61,000 children aged six to 18 years could not be brought back into the formal education system in the state over five years.