Par panel flags nearly 73% students drop out before finishing higher secondary

New
Delhi,
Aug
12
(PTI):
A
pa liame ta y
pa el
has
flagged
a
“d astic
decli e”
i
the
umbe
of
schools
a d
stude ts
as
educatio
level
ises,
oti g
that
ea ly
73
pe
ce t
stude ts
d op
out
befo e
fi ishi g
highe
seco da y.

The
ecomme datio
is
pa t
of
the
Te th
Repo t
(Eightee th
Lok
Sabha)
of
the
Committee
o
Estimates
(2026-27)
o
“Budget
a d
Policy
aspects
fo
p ovidi g
Affo dable
a d
Quality
Educatio
i
the
Cou t y
i cludi g
Review
of
Ce t al
Boa d
of
Seco da y
Educatio “,
p ese ted
to
Lok
Sabha
o
Wed esday.

The
committee
oted
that
the
umbe
of
schools
at
Seco da y
a d
Highe
Seco da y
levels
a e
ve y
less
whe
compa ed
with
the
umbe
of
schools
at
P ima y
a d
Uppe
P ima y
levels.

It
said
as
pe
the
U ified
Dist ict
I fo matio
System
fo
Educatio
(UDISE)
2024-25,
out
of
the
total
10,92,671
schools,
i cludi g
all
the
gove me t
a d
gove me t
aided
schools,
the e
a e
9,11,032
schools
at
p ima y
level,
4,12,805
schools
at
uppe
p ima y
level,
1,61,808
schools
at
seco da y
level,
a d
o ly
90,866
schools
at
highe
seco da y
level
i
the
cou t y.

With
ega d
to
the
umbe
of
stude ts
e olled,
i
p ima y
classes
the e
a e
6,18,45,033
stude ts
a d
4,08,93,978
stude ts
i
uppe
p ima y
classes
f om
6
to
8,
which
educes
to
2,36,68,220
i
seco da y,
a d
fu the
educes
to
1,64,17,949
i
highe
seco da y
classes.

“The
committee
a e
co ce ed
to
ote
this
d astic
decli e
i
umbe
of
schools
a d
stude ts
as
educatio
levels
ises,”
it
said.

“F om
the
above
i fo matio ,
the
Committee
ote
that
out
of
ove
1
millio
gove me t
schools,
the
vast
majo ity
a e
o ly
p ima y
schools,
a d
ea ly
73%
of
stude ts
d op
out
befo e
fi ishi g
highe
seco da y,”
it
added.

The
committee
st o gly
u ged
the
Mi ist y
to
p io itise
upg adi g
existi g
p ima y
a d
seco da y
schools
i to
full
highe
seco da y
schools
to
e su e
a
high
school
is
physically
accessible
to
stude ts
belo gi g
to
diffe e t
commu ities
a d
to
a est
stude t
d op-off
ate.

“The
Committee
a e
of
the
view
that
the e
is
a
u ge t
eed
to
i c ease
the
umbe
of
schools
at
seco da y
a d
highe
seco da y
levels,”
it
said.

Co side i g
that
educatio
is
placed
i
the
Co cu e t
List
of
the
Co stitutio
with
most
schools
u de
the
ju isdictio
of
the
State
Gove me ts
a d
UT
Admi ist atio ,
the
committee
desi ed
the
Mi ist y
to
imp ess
upo
all
the
State/UT
Gove me t
to
take
steps
fo
setti g
up
of
mo e
seco da y
a d
highe
seco da y
schools
so
as
to
i c ease
the
e olme t
of
stude ts
i
the
cou t y.

O
facilities
fo
Divya g
stude ts
to
achieve
i clusive
educatio
ac oss
the
cou t y,
the
committee
flagged
a
seve e
gap
i
the
availability
of
CwSN
f ie dly
i f ast uctu e,
oti g
that
mo e
tha
half
of
schools
ac oss
the
cou t y
a e
devoid
of
CwSN-f ie dly
i f ast uctu e.

The
committee
oted
that
i
o de
to
achieve
the
objective
of
i clusive
educatio ,
the
Mi ist y
of
Educatio
p ovides
fi a cial
suppo t
to
State
Gove me ts
a d
U io
Te ito ies
to
st e gthe
i f ast uctu e
a d
huma
esou ces
fo
i clusive
educatio
of
Divya g
stude ts
u de
the
Samag a
Shiksha
scheme.

To
imp ove
physical
accessibility
of
schools,
the
scheme
i cludes
specific
p ovisio s
fo
the
c eatio
of
ba ie -f ee
a d
diffe e tly-abled-f ie dly
i f ast uctu e,
such
as
amps,
ha d ails
a d
accessible
toilets,
so
that
child e
with
disabilities
ca
move
safely
a d
pa ticipate
fully
i
school
activities.

Though
the
committee
app eciated
the
visio
of
the
Mi ist y,
it
oted
that
as
pe
UDISE+
2024-25,
out
of
total
14,71,437
schools
at
atio al
level,
o ly
5,23,143
schools
have
CwSN
(Child e
with
special
eeds)
toilets,
a d
o ly
8,08,466
schools
have
amps
with
ha d ails.

Du i g
2024-25,
a
budget
of
Rs
482
lakh
was
allocated
fo
co st uctio
of
186
CwSN
toilets,
howeve
o ly
Rs
2.60
lakh
was
actually
utilised
with
o
p og ess
i
physical
ta gets.

“The
seve e
gap
i
the
availability
of
CwSN
f ie dly
i f ast uctu e
shows
that
mo e
tha
half
of
the
schools
ac oss
the
cou t y
a e
devoid
of
CwSN
f ie dly
i f ast uctu e,”
the
committee
said.

The
committee
fu the
oted
that
u de
the
fi a cial
suppo t
fo
ew
special
educato s,
o ly
Rs
80.50
lakh
was
utilised
agai st
a
budgeta y
g a t
(eleme ta y
sectio )
of
Rs
962
lakh.

It
also
oted
that
a
meag e
p og ess
was
achieved
i
the
a ea
of
ec uiti g/ etai i g
special
educato s
fo
CwSN
stude ts.

O
the
Mi ist y’s
app oach
to
p omoti g
educatio
fo
Divya g
child e ,
the
committee
oted
that
it
is
ights
based,
i clusive
a d
holistic.

It
said
The
Rights
of
Pe so s
with
Disabilities
(RP D)
Act,
2016
p ovides
that
child e
with
be chma k
disabilities
a e
e titled
to
f ee
educatio
up
to
the
age
of
18
yea s.

The
NEP
2020
emphasises
a
Ze o
Rejectio
Policy
fo
child e
with
disabilities,
e su i g
that
o
child
is
de ied
schooli g
o
accou t
of
disability.
The
policy
also
u de sco es
the
impo ta ce
of
p epa i g
a d
t ai i g
teache s
to
ha dle
i clusive
class ooms
effectively,
it
said.

“I
view
of
the
above,
the
Committee
st o gly
ecomme d
the
Mi ist y
to
adhe e
to
yea ly
ta gets
of
budget
utilisatio
a d
executio
of
CwSN
elated
p ojects
i
a
time
bou d
ma e ,”
it
said.

The
committee
ecomme ded
the
Mi ist y
p ovide
safe
a d
accessible
i f ast uctu e
to
Divya g
stude ts
i
a
time-bou d
ma e
to
achieve
the
objective
of
i clusivity
i
educatio .

The
Mi ist y
should
also
assess
the
equi eme t
of
special
educato s
ac oss
the
cou t y
a d
complete
thei
ec uitme t
at
the
ea liest,
it
said.
PTI
KSH
MDO
MDO

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