Experts raise doubts over improvement of dropout rates in Telangana schools

Hyderabad: The school dropout rates in the state have significantly improved over the past two years, from 2016-17 to 2018-19, as per the data available with the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), and released by the Union education ministry on Monday.

As per the data, the Telangana state dropout rate stood at 13.5 per cent in 2018-19 for secondary school, 2.9 per cent for upper primary and 1.9 per cent for primary school, in comparison to 2017-18 and 2016-17.

The dropout rate in 2017-18 for secondary school stood at 17.1 per cent, upper primary at 2.6 per cent, and primary at 3.5 per cent, whereas in the 2016-17 academic year, secondary school dropouts in the state amounted to 22.5 per cent, upper primary at 5.6 per cent and primary school dropouts at 7.6 per cent.

Earlier, report in Deccan Chronicle on February 24 on enrolment in state high schools for 2020-21 had quoted data from the TS education department which had also indicated a positive trend. However, experts had raised doubts over the same, citing lack of physical data due to pandemic.

More stakeholders, including government teachers, have now argued that this data does not reflect the real picture in current times.

A government teacher in Hyderabad, who did not wish to be identified, said that the data released by the Union government, and available on UDISE portal, is only until the 2018-19 academic year. “If the government is so confident about a positive picture in the education sector of the country, they should release the latest numbers in the public domain too,” they said.

The Union education ministry released statewise data in response to questions raised by MPs Prataprao Patil Chikhlikar and Anumula Revanth Reddy in the Lok Sabha on Monday, regarding school dropout rates during the last two years, particularly in Maharashtra.