Odisha Assembly concerned over dropout rate at secondary level

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, June 20:

Members cutting across party lines in the Odisha Assembly on Thursday expressed grave concern over the alarming dropout rate of students at the secondary school level.

The reaction of the members came after School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra informed that House that the dropout rate at the secondary school level in the state is 16.49 per cent.

Replying to a question of BJP member Dillip Ray, Mishra said the dropout in the primary school level is only 2.40 per cent, which is lower than the national average.

He said a total of 63,86,461 students at the primary level and 12, 05,677 students at  the secondary school level have enrolled themselves In 2013-14.

He said about 14.61 per cent of students at the the secondary school level and 2.08 students at the primary school level are leaving their education mid way.

Stating that at the primary school level, 2.58 per cent of SC and 3.93 per cent of ST students are opting out of the school, Mishra said that the dropout rate among the SCs was 16.34 per cent and 19.02 per cent among the ST students at the secondary school level.

Replying to a question on the measures taken by the state government, the minister said efforts are on to check the dropout rate through the Sarva Shiksa Abhijan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamika Shiksa Abhijan (RMSA), besides various other schemes of the state government.

To check the dropout rate and provide quality education to the students, the state government has decided to fill up 4,000 of the total 17,000 teacher posts lying vacant in primary schools by March next, Mishra said.

The minister also said in tribal areas, the government had already taken steps to impart education in ten dialects and efforts were on to include 11 more dialects in 1,257 schools in the coming days.