Indian Tribal News Service
Kochi/New Delhi
In 2019-20, Kerala recorded 0.11 percent dropout rate of school students. When the figures came in last year, State Education Minister C Raveendranath attributed the ‘achievement’ of the milestone to modernization of the educational system along with making schools high-tech.
“We have focused on modernizing schools in Kerala with hi-tech classrooms and hi-tech labs in all government-run and aided schools. In the MHRD’s performance index, for the last two years Kerala was able to come to the top,” Kerala Education Minister C Raveendranath stated.
But the years-long trend of Scheduled Tribes students dropping out of schools in Kerala continued in 2019-20 too. Not just that, it constituted close to one-fourth of the total dropouts from all communities.
However, the statistics got revealed in information given by the State General Education Department in response to an RTI query by RTI activist Raju Vazhakkala.
RTI Revelation
- As many as 861 ST students dropped out of schools in Kerala in 2019-20 alone
- They constitute 21% of the total dropout of students from all communities in the same year
- Wayanad topped the chart with the highest number of dropouts of ST students at 466
- Most school dropouts are boys
- Total number of dropouts from all communities in 2019-20 stood at 4,012
As per the statistics provided by the State General Education Department, of the total 861 dropouts of ST students in the State, more than half of them hail from Wayanad, represented by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.
Wayanad topped the dubious chart with the highest number of dropouts of ST students at 466. Idukki and Palakkad followed Wayanad in the dropout list. Overall too, it logged the highest dropout rate from all communities.
Despite, Incidentally at 572, most of the dropouts in the State are boys.
In all, the total number of dropouts from all communities in 2019-20 stood at 4,012 students, mostly studying in Class IX and X. It has been noted that most of the dropouts are reported in Class IX and X.
As many as 18,408 ST students dropped out of schools in Kerala from 2010-11 to 2019-20. The dropout numbers have been decreasing every year though.
Moreover, Early marriage, financial problems, and their own lack of interest have, some of the reasons for their dropping out. Read more about The Indian Tribal News on our website.
