The dropout rate of Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in Kerala remains higher than that of students in the ‘others’ category.
According to the Economic Review tabled in the Assembly recently, Kerala has achieved the distinction of having the lowest dropout rate of school students among the States. The dropout rate in the State has been declining over the years — from 0.12% in 2018-19 it reached 0.08% in 2022-23.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development report on ‘Educational Statistics at a Glance-2018’ put the national average dropout rate of primary students at 4.13%, while for upper primary students it was 4.03% and 17.06% in secondary school.
In the State, the dropout ratio in lower primary and high school stages (0.09% each) in 2022-23 was slightly higher as compared to that in upper primary (0.06%). The dropout ratio in high school classes declined significantly from 0.17% in 2018-19 to 0.09% in 2022-23.
The dropout rate of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students also fell significantly over the years. In 2022-23, the dropout ratio among SC students in the State was 0.06%. It was 0.5% for ST students, much higher than the 0.07% for ‘others.’ The dropout rate of Scheduled Caste students was highest in Idukki (0.4%), followed by Wayanad (0.15%).
Among ST students, it was the highest in Thrissur district (1.09%), with Palakkad just behind (1.01%). In 2021-22, the dropout ratio of ST students was highest in Malappuram (1.81%), followed by Thrissur (1.12%). In 2022-23, the dropout ratio of ST students in Malappuram had come down to 0.64%.
Among districts, the dropout ratio was the highest in Ernakulam in 2022-23 — 0.3%. Idukki was next with 0.28%. The Economic Review attributed Ernakulam’s position to children of migrant workers going back to their home States following COVID-19. The data were, therefore, not strictly comparable with data for the previous year.
