Question : REDUCING DROP OUT RATE

(a) whether the Government is aware that a huge percentage of students in Government schools does not get the opportunity to obtain higher education and thus drop out of schools;

(b) if so, the percentage of students who does not reach high school level in the country, State-wise;

(c) the various reasons attributed to this phenomena; and

(d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to reduce drop out rate and provide better opportunities for students to acquire higher education?

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ( SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI )

(a) & (b): The Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education which was 19.4% in 2010-11 has reached a level of 20.4% as per provisional report of All India Survey on Higher Education. In absolute terms, enrolment in higher education has increased from 2.74 crore in 2010-11 to 2.86 crore in 2011-12. The drop-out rate at upper primary level which is an indicator of students not reaching high school is given at Annexure.

(c) & (d): The Central Government is implementing several schemes in collaboration with State Governments to ensure educational development in the education sector. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is being implemented in accordance with the norms and standards of the RTE Act to enhance enrolment and retention of children, with context- specific interventions for SC/ ST students and a multi–pronged approach for reducing dropout rates. This includes inter-alia strengthening of school infrastructure and facilities, residential hostel buildings for children in habitations not covered by regular schools, provisioning for additional teachers, regular training of teachers, provision for free text books and uniforms to children. The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme provides for setting up of residential upper primary schools for girls from SC, ST, OBC and Minority communities. The Mid Day Meal Scheme is also being implemented with a view to enhance enrolment and retention of children in schools. Further, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan(RMSA) which has been launched for universal access to secondary education, aims at removing gender and socio-economic disparities in access to education. The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE) launched in May 2008 seeks to reduce the drop-outs and to promote the enrolment of girl child belonging mainly to SC/ST communities in secondary schools. Enrolment drives in areas having concentration of SC and ST groups, special coaching/remedial teaching and sensitization programmes are some of the other measures undertaken under RMSA to reduce dropout rate.

The Twelfth Five Year Plan aims to raise the country’s GER to 25.2 by 2017–18 and to reach the target of 30 by 2020–21. During 11th Five year plan, several new Central Universities, Indian Institutes of Management, Indian Institutes of Technology, National Institutes of Technology, Polytechnics and other Institutions of Higher learning have been established. During the Twelfth Five Year Plan, a new scheme called the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) has been launched which aims to achieve equity, access and excellence in higher education through assistance to State universities.