Odisha saw rise in school dropout rates post-pandemic

BHUBANESWAR: Pandemic shifted the paradigms of society’s routines, forcing its own policies on us causing a positive but mostly negative impact. 

The Parliament was informed on Thursday, December 9, that over 49,098 students dropped out of schools before entering the higher-secondary level in Odisha. The number also includes 15,792 tribal and 11,045 students from the scheduled caste category. 

Sameer Ranjan Dash, Minister of School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha informed the assembly that in 2019-20, 8168 students dropped out after completing their secondary education. 

6731, the highest number dropouts were noted in the Kalahandi district followed by Koraput district with 3587. Mayurbhanj district has the lowest recorded dropout count with 13 students, followed by Cuttack wherein 19 students dropped out. 

The minister also informed that only 29 per cent of students across the state have access to mobile phones, a shocking count for the literacy rate especially during the pandemic. Authorities started giving lessons through Doordarshan, YouTube and radio.