MP: 30,850 'Out Of School Children' In State, Kids Falling Behind In Basic Education, Suggests Data

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The future of thousands of children in Madhya Pradesh hangs in the balance, as they have never attended school and are falling behind in basic education. The latest data from the school education department's portal reveals that the state is grappling with an alarming number of 'out-of-school children', currently standing at 30,850. Major urban centres such as Bhopal and Indore are not spared, with 341 and 520 children, respectively, missing from the educational landscape. This issue is exacerbated by factors such as disabilities, financial constraints, and a pervasive de-prioritisation of education within families, as mentioned in the portal.

A deeper dive into the numbers reveals a disturbing trend of gender disparity, particularly in higher classes. While 1.8% of boys and 1.9% of girls aged 7-10 are not attending school, the gap widens significantly with age. Among children aged 11-14, the percentage of out-of-school boys rises to 2.8%, while girls see a jump to 3.8%. The situation is most dire for the 15-16 age group, where 12.6% of boys and a staggering 17% of girls are not attending school, underscoring a critical need for targeted interventions to bridge this widening gap.

An official from the school education department, responsible for the enrollment and retention of children, told the Free Press that the data keeps changing. 'We have not yet uploaded the data for 2024-2025 as admissions are still ongoing, but the number of out-of-school children in the state has decreased,' the official stated.

Dropout crisis

The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) further underscores the magnitude of the problem. Combining out-of-school and dropout rates from grades 1 to 8, the state is witnessing a dropout crisis with 1,392,300 boys and 1,298,627 girls, totaling a distressing 2,695,171 children who are either dropping out, failing to transition to the next class, or are completely out of the school system.