By Et Bureau Last Updated
Copyright indiatimes
Student retention in the education system has significantly improved, with dropout rates declining across all education levels, according to a report released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) on Thursday. At the secondary level, the dropout rate fell to 8.2% in 2024-25 from 13.8% in 2022-23. Similarly, at the middle level, it declined to 3.5% from 8.1%, and at the preparatory level, it decreased to 2.3% from 8.7%. Across states and union territories, Jharkhand recorded a zero dropout rate at the secondary level (class 9 to 12) in 2024-25, while Uttar Pradesh had the lowest rate at 2.8%. It was the highest in West Bengal at 20.3%. The dropout rate is defined as the percentage of students from a cohort enrolled at a particular level during a school year who are no longer enrolled in any grade the following year. Gross enrolment ratio has also improved. At the secondary level, it increased to 68.5% in 2024-25 from 66.5% in 2023-24. At the middle level (class 6 to 8), it rose to 90.3% from 89.5%.In contrast, it saw a slight decline to 95.4% from 96.5% at the preparatory level (class 3 to 5), and at the foundational level (pre-primary to class 2) to 41.4% from 41.5%, according to the report titled ‘Children in India 2025’.Live Events According to census 2011, children made up 40.9% of the population. This is projected to reach 32% in 2026 and 27.5% in 2036.Health status India has also made notable progress in health outcomes, with the infant mortality rate declining to 25 per 1,000 live births in 2023 compared to 32 in 2018. The under-five mortality rate also fell to 29 in 2023 from 36 in 2018. According to the National Family Health Survey (2019-21), 35.5% of children are stunted, with the rate higher in rural areas at 37.3% than 30.1% in urban areas. This is an improvement from 38.4% in 2015-16.Among states, Meghalaya has the highest stunting rate at 46.5 %, followed by Bihar (42.9 %), Uttar Pradesh (39.7 %), Jharkhand (39.6 %), Gujarat (39.0 %), and Madhya Pradesh (35.7 %). The share of underweight children declined to 32.1% in 2019-21 from 35.7% in 2015-16.Crime against children Crime against children is on the rise, with the crime rate at 36.6 per lakh population in 2022. It was the highest in Delhi at 134.9, followed by Andaman & Nicobar Island (130), Sikkim (77.2), and Madhya Pradesh (71). Kidnapping and abduction accounted for the largest share of crimes against children, making up 45.7% of reported cases.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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