Odisha’s secondary level school dropout rate highest in country

Odisha has emerged as the top state in terms of the dropout rate at the secondary school level. The revelation has raised concerns about the state of education in Odisha and arguably demands immediate attention and intervention.

As per the recent Odisha Economic Survey 2023-24 report published by the Planning and the Convergence Department of the Odisha Government, the retention rate in Odisha has improved at the primary, elementary, and secondary levels between 2017-18 and 2021-22.

However, the report suggested that despite a 22.2% reduction in dropouts at the secondary level between 2014-15 and 2021-22, Odisha still has the highest secondary-level dropout rate in India at 27.29 per cent.

Moreover, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Odisha at upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary levels is 91.3, 80.4 and 43.6, respectively. However, GER at primary and upper primary levels in Odisha is still lower than the all-India average.

As per the report, Odisha has a wide network of 1,737 residential schools and 5,500 hostels benefitting 4.5 lakh ST and SC students including 2.75 lakh girl students across primary, secondary, and senior secondary levels of education.

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