Gujarat plans integrated schools to curb dropouts at transition stages

Gandhinagar: An analysis of school dropouts in Gujarat has found that the lack of admission opportunities at higher levels is one of the key reasons students leave school at different stages. A study conducted by the state education department shows that around 4 lakh students drop out from their schools due to non-availability of admission at the next level, while schools offering classes from Class 1 to 12 record nearly 100% student retention.To address the issue, the state govt has drawn up a plan to upgrade schools across Gujarat. According to the proposed action plan, schools currently offering Classes 1 to 5 and those with Classes 6 to 8 may be merged to function as Class 1 to 8 schools. Similarly, schools running Classes 6 to 10 and 9 to 12 will be upgraded to offer Classes 6 to 12. Schools operating Classes 1 to 10, 9 and 10, and 11 and 12 can be upgraded to run Classes 1 to 12. "Around 4 lakh students leave schools due to the non-availability of admission at higher levels. Student retention in schools running Classes 1 to 12 is nearly 100%, while it declines in other categories. Because of the multi-school structure, 86.3% of students are required to undergo the admission process at least three times during their schooling," a senior official said. Sources said Gujarat's education system includes 53,355 schools, around 1.2 crore students, and 3.9 lakh teachers. "Owing to the pyramidal structure of schools, only 16.5% offer higher secondary education. This clearly highlights the need to increase the number of schools providing higher secondary education," a source said. "Upgrading upper primary schools into integrated schools will be a major focus in the coming days, as most dropouts occur at Classes 6, 9 and 11, which coincide with fresh admissions," a source said. While most cases will involve rearranging classes, officials said minor gaps in core infrastructure will also need to be addressed at the earliest.