Jharkhand has reported a significant drop in school dropout rates for the academic year 2024–25, with official data suggesting one of the best performances among Indian states in recent years. According to the Education Department, the state’s dropout rate has reduced sharply at both the primary and secondary levels, marking what officials call a “major success in improving school retention.” The government credited this improvement to initiatives like better mid-day meal coverage, digital attendance systems, and targeted learning recovery programmes launched after the pandemic.
I am writing about this because while the data shows an encouraging picture, questions raised by education activists highlight a deeper issue — the reliability of administrative data in education. Measuring dropouts is not just about numbers but also about access, inclusion, and follow-up. Several ground reports from remote districts indicate that many children remain absent for long periods, even though their names are still on school registers. Understanding whether this decline truly reflects better retention or administrative oversight is crucial for policy planning and for ensuring that no child is left behind.
State Reports Record Improvement in Retention
According to the Jharkhand Education Department, the overall dropout rate has fallen to 3.8% in primary classes and 7.2% in secondary classes for 2024–25, compared to 7.5% and 12.1% respectively in 2022–23. Officials claim that this is the sharpest decline in the last decade.
The department attributes the success to measures such as:
- Tracking student attendance through digital registers under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
- Increased school enrolments through community outreach programmes
- Strengthening of mid-day meal schemes to encourage attendance
- Reintroduction of bridge courses to support children returning after the pandemic
Government Credits “Holistic Effort”
A senior official from the Education Department stated that the results were the outcome of “consistent monitoring and coordination between schools, local panchayats, and the department.”
He added that monthly tracking of out-of-school children and field surveys by Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs) helped identify and bring back students who had dropped out due to economic or social reasons.
The department also launched special campaigns in tribal-dominated areas like Dumka, Simdega, and Latehar, where dropout rates have traditionally been higher due to migration and limited access to secondary schools.
Activists Raise Questions on Data Accuracy
While the numbers appear positive, several education activists and NGOs working in Jharkhand have expressed doubts about the accuracy of the reported figures.
They argue that many schools still face irregular attendance, and data collection often depends on manual reporting by teachers, which may not reflect the real picture. Some activists claim that students who stop attending regularly are not always marked as “dropped out” to keep records looking clean.
An education activist from Ranchi said, “We have found several cases where children who haven’t attended school for months are still on the roll. The data looks impressive on paper, but the reality in remote blocks tells a different story.”
Concerns About Migrant Children and Attendance Gaps
Jharkhand’s seasonal migration pattern continues to be one of the biggest challenges in maintaining consistent school attendance. Many families migrate to neighbouring states for work, leaving children out of school for several months each year.
NGOs working in these regions suggest that while enrolment rates have gone up, attendance consistency remains weak. Without clear tracking of migrant children, the real dropout rate could be higher than reported.
