A recent disagreement between the Odisha government and the Union Education Minister’s announcement has triggered a dispute over the accurate dropout rate in Class 10. The Odisha government asserts that the dropout rate for the academic year 2021-2022 is 27 percent, challenging the previous statement of Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, in the Lok Sabha, which was 49.9 percent.
Anupam Shah, Director of Odisha School Education Programme Authority, emphasized on the omission of students who have enrolled in industrial training schools after completing their 10th standard from the Centre’s data. Shah highlighted this factor as it may result to significant disparity in reported figures.
The Odisha school and mass education department are prepared to provide explanations regarding the existing dropout rates at the school level. Shah emphasized the neglect of students choosing technical and vocational institutions, polytechnics, and open schools throughout the state.
Shah clarified the methodology used for computing dropout rates, highlighting a comparison between Class 11 students in a specific year and those in Class 10 in the previous year. He reiterated the exclusion of students pursuing alternative educational pathways after Class 10, which represented an incomplete representation of dropout rates.
Differing from the data provided by the central authority, Shah disclosed a notably reduced dropout rate for Odisha, which amounted to 17 percent for the academic year 2022-2023. This statistic includes students enrolled in technical and vocational institutions. Shah underscored the clarity and inclusivity of the computing educational data.
