Odisha Records worst performance in Class X Dropout Rate: 37% Rise Over 4 Years

Bhubanswar: In the academic year 2021-22, Odisha reported the highest dropout rate for Class X students, with a staggering 49.9% discontinuing their studies, according to information shared by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The state’s performance was closely followed by Bihar, where 42.1% of students dropped out, placing both states among the ten with dropout rates surpassing the national average, which declined from 28.4% in 2018-19 to 20.6% in 2021-22.

Odisha has witnessed a concerning downward trend over the past four years, with the dropout rate escalating from 12.8% in 2018-19 to the alarming 49.9% in 2021-22. The state’s dropout rate stood at 38.35% in 2019-20 and 39.4% in 2020-21.

Responding to inquiries from DMK MP Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, Minister Dharmendra Pradhan disclosed that out of the 1,89,90,809 students who appeared for the Class X examination in 2022, a substantial 29,56,138 students failed to progress to Class XI.

Under the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha, the number of students failing to qualify in Class X was 1,38,462 in 2019, 90,908 in 2020, 12,115 in 2021, and 8,944 in 2022. Minister Pradhan highlighted diverse factors contributing to students’ failure, including non-attendance at schools, challenges in understanding instructions, lack of interest in studies, the difficulty level of question papers, shortage of qualified teachers, and insufficient support from parents, teachers, and schools.

Education falls within the concurrent list of the Constitution, with schools operating under the jurisdiction of respective state and Union Territory governments. Besides Odisha and Bihar, states with high dropout rates include Meghalaya (33.5%), Karnataka (28.5%), Andhra Pradesh and Assam (28.3% each), Gujarat (28.2%), and Telangana (27.4%). Conversely, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Manipur (no dropouts), Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi recorded dropout rates under 10%. Notably, Assam showcased marked improvement with its dropout rate declining from 44% to 28.3%. The concerning trend in Odisha underscores the need for targeted interventions to address the root causes of student disengagement and dropout.