Bhubaneswar, Aug 29: While India has witnessed a significant decline in school dropout rates, Odisha has recorded an alarming increase, according to the latest Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Report 2024–25 released by the Union Ministry of Education.
The report, prepared under the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP), reveals that the secondary-level dropout rate in Odisha has risen from 9.1% in 2023–24 to 9.8% in 2024–25. This means that nearly 10 out of every 100 children in the state are leaving school midway.
The increase contrasts with the national trend, where dropout rates are steadily falling.
At the national level, the secondary dropout rate dropped from 10.9% in 2023–24 to 8.2% in 2024–25. Similarly, the upper primary dropout rate fell from 5.2% to 3.5%, while the primary level saw a decline from 3.7% to 2.3%.
However in Odisha, the situation is concerning across all levels of schooling. The primary dropout rate rose from 0.5% to 1.4%, the upper primary rate from 1.7% to 3.2% and the secondary rate from 9.1% to 9.8% during the same period.
In contrast, neighboring states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have managed to reduce their dropout rates. Similar improvements have also been recorded in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam, the report highlights.
Beyond dropout rates, the report sheds light on Odisha’s school and teacher infrastructure. The state has 61,565 schools catering to 76,44,052 students, with 3,44,116 teachers employed in the system. The pupil-teacher ratio (22:1) in Odisha is better than the national average of 24:1, placing the state in a relatively good position in this regard.
Still, significant challenges persist. As many as 1,089 schools in Odisha function with only a single teacher, collectively catering to around 47,940 students. In these schools, one teacher handles an average of 44 children, raising serious concerns about the quality of education being delivered.
Meanwhile on a positive note, enrollments in government schools have gone up. In the current academic year, 4,27,271 students enrolled in Class I in government schools, compared to just 1,62,737 students in private schools.
