Guwahati, July 1: The Assam government has acknowledged that the high dropout rates, particularly at the secondary education level, remain a serious concern. In response, it has constituted a dedicated committee to examine the issue in depth and propose targeted interventions aimed at reducing dropout rates and ensuring sustained student retention.
According to an official notification, the Education Department is currently exploring the development of a new incentive-based scheme, similar in approach to the ‘Nijut Moina’ initiative. The proposed scheme will aim to remove economic, social, and geographical barriers that contribute to school discontinuation, especially among marginalized and vulnerable communities.
The newly formed committee will be headed by Additional Secretary Krishna Baruah. It has been tasked with conducting a detailed, data-driven study to identify the stages where dropouts are most likely to occur. The analysis will be disaggregated by class, gender, geography, and socio-economic status.
The committee will also examine key factors contributing to the dropout crisis, including early marriage, poverty, domestic responsibilities, and lack of access to schools in remote areas. The team includes members from UNICEF, the Central Square Foundation, and four other officials from the State Education Department.
The committee is expected to submit its comprehensive report by August 15, which will include specific recommendations on the structure, scale, and design of the proposed incentive scheme. The report will be submitted directly to the Chief Minister and will guide informed policy decisions to address the crisis effectively.
Recent statistics highlight the gravity of the problem. According to the 2023-24 UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) report, Assam’s secondary school dropout rate stands at 19.46%, the second highest in India after Bihar (20.86%). At the upper primary level, Assam’s dropout rate is 8.16%, ranking fourth highest, after Bihar (25.95%), Meghalaya (12.41%), and Jharkhand (9%).
In terms of completion rates, the situation has worsened over time. In 2023-24, only 57.4% of boys who enrolled in school completed secondary education, a decline from 62.6% in 2019. Among girls, 63.7% completed secondary education in 2023-24, slightly lower than 64.6% in 2019.
Further compounding the issue, the Performance Grading Index (PGI) released by the Union Ministry of Education reveals that Assam’s performance in the ‘Access’ domain—which includes metrics such as student enrollment, retention, grade transition, and the inclusion of out-of-school children—has deteriorated. Assam’s score dropped from 50.2 in 2022-23 to 46.0 in 2023-24, placing it third from the bottom, ahead of only Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.
The government’s new initiative, backed by expert analysis and inter-agency collaboration, marks a significant step towards tackling structural and systemic barriers in Assam’s education system. The outcome of the committee’s findings is expected to shape a comprehensive and inclusive policy response that could serve as a model for other states facing similar challenges.
