Odisha Records Highest Class 10 Dropout Rate of 49.9%, Followed By Bihar: Govt

In the past academic year, the class 10 dropout rate reached 20.6%, highlighting Odisha as the poorest performer, followed by Bihar. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan disclosed in the Lok Sabha that more than 29 lakh students couldn't pass their class 10 examinations in the preceding year.

The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan disclosed in the Lok Sabha that the class 10 dropout rate is 20.6%, with Odisha emerging as the least successful state in this aspect, trailed closely by Bihar. In his written response, he highlighted that the class 10 dropout rates were 49.9 per cent in Odisha and 42.1 per cent in Bihar. 

This disclosure was made in reply to DMK MP Kalanidhi Veeraswamy's query regarding the government's awareness of the Ministry of Education's analysis, revealing that approximately 3.5 million students discontinue their education after Class 10.

States with High Dropout Rates 

Besides Odisha and Bihar, several other states exhibit significant dropout rates: Meghalaya at 33.5%, Karnataka at 28.5%, Andhra Pradesh and Assam both at 28.3%, along with Gujarat at 28.2% and Telangana at 27.4%. Check the table for detailed information: 

States	Dropout Percentage
Odisha	49.9 per cent
Bihar	42.1 per cent
Meghalaya	33.5 per cent
Karnataka	28.5 per cent
Andhra Pradesh	28.3 per cent
Assam	28.3 per cent
Gujarat	28.2 per cent
Telangana	27.4 per cent

States with Low Dropout Rates 

States exhibiting dropout rates below 10% encompass Uttar Pradesh at 9.2%, Tripura at 3.8%, Tamil Nadu at 9%, Manipur with no reported dropouts, Madhya Pradesh at 9.8%, Himachal Pradesh at 2.5%, Haryana at 7.4%, and Delhi at 1.3%.

States	Dropout Percentage
Uttar Pradesh	9.2 per cent
Tripura	3.8 per cent
Tamil Nadu	9 per cent
Manipur	No reported dropout
Madhya Pradesh	9.8 per cent
Himachal Pradesh	2.5 per cent
Haryana	7.4 per cent
Delhi	1.3 per cent

Over the past four years, Assam has notably improved, reducing its dropout rate from 44% to 28.3%. Conversely, Odisha experienced a concerning trend, witnessing an increase from 12.8% to 49.9% during the same period.

Class 10 Board Exams: 29 Lakh Students Failed 

According to the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, more than 29 lakh students did not pass their Class 10 exams in the previous year. As per provided data, 1,89,90,809 students appeared in the Class 10 examinations. Out of these, 1,60,34,671 students successfully passed the exams, while 29,56,138 students did not proceed to Class 11 due to failing the exams. 

The number of students failed in class 10 exam has fluctuated over the past four years. In 2019, it stood at 109,800, dropped to 100,812 in 2020, decreased further to 31,196 in 2021, but then sharply rose to 117,308 in 2022. In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many boards opted not to conduct exams. Instead, alternative assessment criteria were employed to promote students to the next academic level.

“The reasons for failure of students in board exam depends on various factors including not attending the schools, difficulty in following the instruction in schools, lack of interest in the studies, level of difficulty of question paper, lack of quality teachers, lack of support from parents, teachers and schools etc,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

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