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Eight lakh children dropped out of schools in academic year, 3.7 lakh girls: Minister

NEW DELHI: India recorded nearly 8.5 lakh out-of-school children (OoSC) in 2025-26, of whom 3.7 lakh were girls, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, said that in 2024-25, the provisional figure for total OoSC was 11,76,894, of whom 5,09,499 were girls. She said the key reasons for children dropping out of school included migration, the socio-economic condition of families, the imposition of domestic responsibilities on children, and the need for children to work. A year later, the number of out-of-school children stood at 8,49,991 in 2025-26 (provisional), while the figure for girls was 3,78,877. In 2021-22, when the OoSC number stood at 27,79,644, there were 12,68,594 girls among them. In 2022-23, the OoSC number was 9,83,610, with 4,71,846 girls. In 2023-24, the total OoSC figure was 7,80,669, of whom 3,54,653 were girls. Thakur said that to reduce dropout rates, the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Union Education Ministry is implementing Samagra Shiksha , an integrated scheme for school education launched in 2018-19, covering the entire gamut from pre-school to Class XII. Among the various steps taken are the opening and strengthening of new schools up to the senior secondary level; construction of school buildings and additional classrooms; setting up, upgrading and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas; establishing Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas; provision of free uniforms, free textbooks and transport allowance; enrolment and retention drives; construction of hostels under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for unsaturated ST populations; and reimbursement under the RTE Act. The Samagra Shiksha scheme has been aligned with the recommendations of NEP 2020 to ensure that all children have access to quality education within an equitable and inclusive classroom environment that considers diverse backgrounds, multilingual needs and differing academic abilities, and encourages active participation in learning. More initiatives to address the issue The minister said the government has also undertaken initiatives such as the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) and the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID to monitor dropout rates and other education indicators. In addition, support is being provided through special training for age-appropriate admission of out-of-school children and training programmes for older residential and non-residential students. Seasonal hostels or residential camps, special training centres at worksites, and transport or escort facilities are also being provided to bring out-of-school children back into the formal education system. Financial assistance of up to 2,000 per annum is being provided to out-of-school children aged 1619 years, belonging to socio-economically disadvantaged groups, to help them complete their education through NIOS/SIOS and access course materials and certification. Under the student-oriented component for children with special needs, the scheme provides financial assistance for identification and assessment, aids and appliances, Braille kits and books, appropriate teachinglearning material, and stipends for girl students with disabilities. All states and Union Territories have been directed to reduce dropout rates and the number of out-of-school children. States have also been asked to participate in the Bringing Children Back to School campaign with active involvement of School Management Committees and community participation through Panchayati Raj Institutions.