(a) whether it is true that more than 70,000 students had dropped out of school during 2018-19
academic session;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the measures taken by the Government to prevent school drop-outs under “Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan”;
(d) whether the Government has issued guidelines to the States to ensure education for all; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL ''NISHANK'')
(a) to (b): Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) collects information from
all the schools (government, aided and private) annually on various educational indicators and is
used to calculate drop-out rate across all States and UTs. As per U-DISE 2017-18 (provisional),
the annual average dropout rate is 3.5% and 5% at primary level and upper primary level
respectively. As per U-DISE 2016-17, the annual average dropout rate was 6.35% and 5.67% at
primary level and upper primary level respectively.
(c) to (e): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into effect from
1st April 2010. The Act makes elementary education a fundamental right of all children in the
age group of 6-14 years. Further, the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched
an Integrated Scheme for School Education w.e.f. 2018-19 - Samagra Shiksha which subsumes
the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya
Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
Samagra Shiksha envisages school education as a continuum from pre-school to senior
secondary level and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Under this
scheme, financial assistance is provided to States/UTs for undertaking various activities to
reduce number of out of school children including opening/upgradation of new schools upto
senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional classrooms, setting up and
running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV), setting up of residential
schools/hostels, free uniforms, free text books and undertaking enrolment & retention drives.
Further, special training for age appropriate admission of out of school children and residential
as well as non-residential training for older children, Seasonal hostels / residential camps,
Special Training Centres at worksites, Transport/ Escort Facility are also supported to bring out
of school children to the formal schooling system. Also, mid-day meal is provided to students at
the elementary level of education.
Further, under the student oriented component for the children with special needs, financial
assistance is provided for identification and assessment of children with special needs, aids and
appliances, braille kits and books, appropriate teaching learning material, transport and escort
facility and stipend to girls students with disability etc.