Metro India News | new delhi

Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary highlighted the use of the UDISE+ portal, which tracks dropout data by state, gender, and category, along with school infrastructure such as toilets, electricity, and internet access from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

Responding to a Lok Sabha question by Warangal MP Dr. Kadiyam Kavya, the Centre on Monday outlined key initiatives to reduce school dropouts. The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted by NCERT, assessed learning levels of students in Grades 3, 6, and 9 across 74,000 schools to identify learning gaps.

To address dropout causes like poverty, health, and academic challenges, the Samagra Shiksha Scheme funds construction of schools, hostels, and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. It also supports free uniforms, textbooks, transport, and enrollment drives.

The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Scheme ensures hot meals for elementary students, while the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship offers Rs 12,000 annually to one lakh economically weaker students from Class 9 to 12. These measures aim to keep vulnerable students in school through comprehensive, state-supported interventions.