ALARMING: Nearly Half The Girls In Madhya Pradesh Do Not Complete Schooling

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Padhega India, Tabhi Toh Badhega India – this slogan still remains a dream for the heart of the Nation – Madhya Pradesh as nearly half of the school girls in the state do not complete their schooling due to one or the other reason. The state with a blot of standing second in the highest number of upper primary dropouts in the country has the retention rate of the girls to schools is only 52 percent.  

The data put forth by Unified District Information System for Education 2021-2022 reveals alarming figures of the state. Data on retention rate shows that 48 percent of the girls do not go back to schools after upper primary to complete their education.

This percentage increases further to 70 percent for the higher secondary classes.

In comparison, only 8.6 percent of boys drop out after upper primary. Surprisingly, the dropout rate of boys in higher secondary is 10.6 per cent, which is more than that of girls. In the aggregate, 10.1 percent leave education in their secondary years in Madhya Pradesh.

Total enrolment of students in the state by school management (private and government) for upper primary was 42,24,219, out of which 1/10 failed to continue their education to secondary level of education.

Addressing the pressing need to ensure every girl completes her schooling till class 12th, CRY - Child Rights and You, a child rights organization, launched 'Poori Padhai Desh Ki Bhalai' campaign in twelve districts of the state including Bhopal, Shivpuri, Dews, Betul, Vidisha, Indore, Satna, Harda, Guna, Sagar, Raisen, and Rajgarh.

Puja Marwaha, CEO of CRY, highlighted the critical importance of the campaign: “Ensuring higher secondary education for girls is a non-negotiable for their empowerment and the nation’s development. Targeted interventions with specific goals and action points are needed to support girls beyond elementary education.”

The organisation states that Madhya Pradesh’s socio-economic challenges, cultural norms, gender discrimination, early marriages, inadequate school facilities, long travel distances, and safety concerns all hinder girls' educational journeys, posing significant barriers to completing higher secondary education.

Nationwide one-third girls drop out of schools before secondary level

A CRY analysis suggests that one of every three girls (35%) of the corresponding age group drops out of school before the secondary level, while one of every eight girls (12.25%) of the corresponding age group drops out and fails to complete secondary education (calculations based on Adjusted Net Enrolment Rate – ANER). 

Dropout rate by level of education and gender 2021-22

Retention Rate in the state