The number of school dropouts, which had been steadily rising during the COVID period, has started to decline over the past two years. Across India, including West Bengal, the dropout rate has dropped by nearly half in this period, according to a recent report by the Central Government.
A recent survey conducted by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reveals a significant fall in dropout rates at the secondary level. In the 2022–23 academic year, the dropout rate at the secondary level stood at 13.8 percent, which fell to 8.2 percent in 2024–25. At the higher secondary level, the decline has been even more pronounced.
Data collected between April and June this year shows that two years ago, the overall dropout rate was 8.1 percent. This figure has now come down to 3.5 percent. Similarly, the rate of students dropping out after admission has also seen remarkable improvement — from 8.7 percent earlier to 2.3 percent now.
The statistics clearly indicate significant progress in both school enrollment and retention compared to previous years. The Centre attributes this success to continuous awareness campaigns after the pandemic, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, mid-day meal benefits, various scholarships, improved school infrastructure, and most importantly, the National Education Policy.
Earlier, a report by the Union Ministry of Education highlighted that in the 2023–24 academic year, Bihar recorded the highest dropout rate at the primary level (8.9 percent), followed by Rajasthan (7.6 percent), Meghalaya (7.5 percent), Assam (6.2 percent), and Arunachal Pradesh (5.4 percent).
In West Bengal, however, government and government-aided schools reported zero dropouts from primary to upper primary levels in the 2023–24 academic year. This means that not a single student left school midway from Classes 1 to 8 during this period. Similar figures were reported in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu at the primary level. At the upper primary level, only Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala recorded a zero dropout rate this year.
However, another significant finding has emerged: the cost of education has increased considerably. In rural areas, families of students enrolled in government schools spend an average of ₹2,639 per child annually, while for private schools, the expenditure rises to ₹19,554 per child. In urban areas, the average expenditure per student is almost double that of rural regions, for both government and private schools.