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epages News [Schools, December 2003] Govt schools show 50% drop-out rate in stateDec 12, 2003: Hyderabad: The dropout rate in government schools in the city and its neighbourhood is close to 50%, inspite of the government’s Chaduvula Panduga programme. Figures furnished by the school education department reveal that around 50% of the students admitted to the government schools in Class 1 leave by the time they reach Class 10. Alarmed by the figure, the education department officials are looking to other means of keeping boys and girls back in the classrooms. Of the 1,07,270 students who joined Class 1 in Hyderabad district schools, only 51,808 continued till Class 10 in 2003, a retention %age of 48.02. The situation in Rangareddy district is no better. Of the 1,24,467 students who enrolled in Class 1, only 44,366 remained in Class 10. Here the retention %age was only 35.6%.
Further, students from both districts fared poorly in the class 10 exams held in March 2003. The pass %age in Hyderabad district was the lowest, while Rangareddy stood 15th among 23 districts. Outlining the reasons for this poor performance of government schools in the two districts, a senior education department official said most students in the government schools were either from poor or lower middle class families. Their parents were in position to keep their wards in school till Class 10 because of poverty. Most of these parents send their wards to work hoping that the children would supplement their income. The teachers said many of their students were not able to attend classes because they had to work as well, either in eateries and teashops or as domestic helps.
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