Sadaket Ali Malik
sadaketmalik.blogspot.com
One of the foremost goals of the Indian schooling system is to ensure that every child is enrolled in and regularly attends school, and that no child is left behind in the pursuit of education. Over the years, through initiatives like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, now subsumed under Samagra Shiksha, and through the constitutional guarantee of the Right to Education Act, India has made significant progress in achieving near-universal enrolment at the elementary level. However, challenges remain acute in higher grades, where data points to a steep decline in retention. The Gross Enrolment Ratio, which stood at 90.9% for Grades 6 to 8, dropped to 79.3% for Grades 9 and 10, and further plummeted to 56.5% for Grades 11 and 12. This indicates that a large number of children who enter elementary school eventually leave the system, with dropout rates being particularly high after Grade 5 and especially after Grade 8. According to the NSSO 75th Round Household Survey (2017–18), there are about 3.22 crore out-of-school children in the age group of 6 to 17 years. The urgent need is not only to bring these children back into schools but also to prevent further dropouts. The goal is clear and ambitious: to achieve 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio from preschool to secondary education by 2030, ensuring that every child has access to quality, holistic education that includes vocational education, life skills, and opportunities for overall development.
To achieve this, two broad strategies will be adopted. The first will focus on strengthening infrastructure and resources so that every child has access to safe, engaging, and inclusive schools from pre-primary to Grade 12. This includes the provision of well-trained teachers, adequate classrooms, proper sanitation facilities, safe drinking water, electricity, playgrounds, libraries, laboratories, and digital connectivity. Particular attention will be paid to ensuring that no school suffers from infrastructural deficiencies. Government schools will be upgraded and expanded to re-establish their credibility and make them institutions of pride in local communities. Where schools do not exist, new ones will be built, particularly in remote, rural, and underserved areas. Safe transportation and hostel facilities, especially for girls, will be prioritized to ensure equitable access. Special alternative and innovative education centres will also be set up in collaboration with civil society to cater to children of migrant labourers and other vulnerable groups whose education is often disrupted. These centres will serve as bridges to bring such children back into mainstream education.
The second strategy will emphasize universal participation by tracking children individually to ensure that they are enrolled, attending, and learning at appropriate levels. This will involve establishing robust systems to monitor both attendance and learning outcomes and to provide remedial opportunities for those who fall behind. Trained counsellors, social workers, and teachers will work closely with students, parents, and communities to address the reasons behind dropouts and to create solutions tailored to local needs. Professionals from departments of Social Justice and Empowerment, as well as those involved in supporting Persons with Disabilities, will be linked to schools to provide additional support where required. These efforts will help create a comprehensive ecosystem that ensures no child is excluded from education due to social, economic, or physical barriers.
Ensuring quality will be central to retaining students, particularly girls and those from socio-economically disadvantaged groups, who are most at risk of dropping out. Quality retention strategies will include deploying teachers with knowledge of the local language in areas with high dropout rates, revamping the curriculum to make it more relevant, engaging, and practical, and creating a joyful and meaningful learning environment that motivates students to remain in school.
The scope of school education will be broadened to allow for multiple pathways of learning, ensuring flexibility and inclusivity. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes offered by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and State Open Schools will be expanded and strengthened to meet the needs of young people unable to attend physical schools. These institutions will provide equivalency programmes for Grades 3, 5, and 8, along with secondary and senior secondary courses equivalent to Grades 10 and 12. Additionally, they will offer vocational education courses and adult literacy programmes to support lifelong learning. States will be encouraged to develop and deliver such courses in regional languages through new or strengthened State Institutes of Open Schooling (SIOS), thereby extending opportunities to learners from diverse backgrounds.
To facilitate the establishment of schools and to encourage local variations that reflect the cultural, geographical, and demographic uniqueness of each region, regulatory requirements will be made more flexible. The focus will shift from input-based compliance to output-based outcomes, where the emphasis will be on student learning achievements rather than rigid infrastructural norms. This will allow the piloting of alternative school models, including public-philanthropic partnerships, which can bring innovation, resources, and creativity into the schooling system.
Equally important will be the role of communities, alumni, and volunteers in supporting education and reducing dropout rates. Local participation will be harnessed to provide supplementary tutoring, literacy classes, mentoring, career guidance, and academic support to students. Retired professionals, senior citizens, scientists, educators, government employees, and alumni will be encouraged to volunteer their time and expertise. Databases of such individuals will be created and linked to schools so that students can benefit from their knowledge, mentorship, and life experiences. These efforts will strengthen the bond between schools and communities, making education a shared responsibility and a collective mission.
The overarching vision is to create an inclusive, flexible, and high-quality education system that leaves no child behind. By addressing infrastructural gaps, ensuring universal participation, maintaining quality, providing multiple learning pathways, relaxing rigid regulations, and involving the community, India aims to achieve not only universal access to education but also sustained retention of students through secondary level. The goal is not simply to enrol children in schools but to keep them engaged, motivated, and successful throughout their educational journey, thereby laying the foundation for a more equitable and empowered society.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
