J&K primary, upper primary school dropout rates decline

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Sept 28: The Government today said the dropout rate in Jammu and Kashmir Government schools fell from 1.6 per cent in 2024-25 to 1.1 per cent in 2025-26 at the primary level, while at the upper primary level it declined from 3.20 per cent to 2.8 per cent.

The figures were given in reply to a question by Doda MLA Mehraj Malik seeking details of reformative measures taken by the School Education Department since 2019 in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly.

The Government said the decline in dropout rates was recorded during 2025-26 alongside improvements in teacher training, recruitment, digital education and vocational education

The Government said the decline was recorded alongside improvements in teacher training, recruitment, digital education and vocational education," 746 Cluster/School Complexes have been made functional to share manpower and other resources, while Annual Transfer Drives and staff rationalisation are being conducted regularly," it said.

The Government said 78,975 elementary teachers, 21,926 secondary teachers and 40,318 pre-primary/primary teachers have been trained under NISHTHA through JKSCERT, DIETs and online training.

On recruitment, the Government said 594 posts of 10+2 lecturers in 27 disciplines were referred to the J&K Public Service Commission, against which 586 selections have been received. Appointment orders have been issued to 322 candidates after CID verification.

The Government said 396 schools are being upgraded as exemplar schools under the PM SHRI scheme. The JK Attendance App has also been implemented, with around 1.14 lakh employees marking their attendance through it. "1,008 schools are already covered through 3,420 CAL centres and 1,588 ICT labs with internet facilities, while another 2,388 ICT labs and 4,597 smart classrooms are being established," it said.

The department launched its DTH TV channel, JK e-Pathshala, on January 8, 2026.

The Government also said JKBOSE examination performance improved by almost 10 per cent over the previous academic year, while J&K's Performance Grading Index score rose by 47 points, from 500.2 in 2024-25 to 547.0 in 2025-26.

On vocational education, the Government said it has been introduced or sanctioned in 2,460 high and higher secondary schools, with 4,481 vocational labs established. Around 1.54 lakh students are receiving vocational education from Classes 9 to 12.

On cooks-cum-helpers under PM POSHAN, the Government said they are paid Rs 1,000 per month for 10 months in a calendar year, with Rs 900 contributed by the Ministry of Education and Rs 100 by the UT Government. A proposal to enhance their honorarium has been taken up with the Ministry of Education, it said.