PANAJI
Goa continues to witness a worrying trend of students discontinuing their education after Class 10, with an annual average of 178 dropouts.
Over the last five academic years, a total of 891 students have left school, and girls constitute nearly 42 per cent of these cases. The factors driving this include household duties, financial distress, and migration of families.
According to data submitted in the Rajya Sabha, the current academic year 2025–26 has, so far, recorded 196 Out-of-School Children (OoSC), of who 72 are girls.
Since 2021–22, Goa has cumulatively reported 891 OoSC, including 374 girls, amounting to 41.97 per cent of the total dropouts.
Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur stated that States and Union Territories have identified migration, poor socio-economic conditions, child labour, and domestic responsibilities as the major reasons behind children dropping out. She said the Centre has directed all States/UTs to take proactive steps to lower dropout rates and reduce the number of OoSC.
The Minister added that States and UTs have also been urged to participate vigorously in the “Bringing Children Back to School” campaign, which seeks to ensure community participation through School Management Committees and local Panchayati Raj bodies.
Government data indicates that Goa reported its highest number of dropouts—253 OoSC—in 2022–23, a sharp rise from just 98 in 2021–22. The numbers dipped marginally to 196 in 2023–24, and further to 148 in 2024–25, although they remained significantly high. During this period, authorities succeeded in re-enrolling 155 students.
Thakur also informed the Rajya Sabha that the Department of School Education and Literacy continues to implement Samagra Shiksha, an integrated school education scheme launched in 2018–19 and now aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The scheme aims to curb dropouts by strengthening the school ecosystem—opening and upgrading schools up to senior secondary level; constructing new buildings and additional classrooms; establishing and running Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas; providing free uniforms, textbooks, and transport allowance; and conducting enrolment and retention drives.
Other interventions include building hostels under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for underserved ST communities, reimbursing fees under the RTE Act, improving teacher education, enhancing DIET/BRC/CRC infrastructure, and expanding ICT and digital learning tools.
Since 2021–22, the Centre has allocated Rs 93.55 crore for Goa under Samagra Shiksha, while the State government has contributed Rs 175.41 crore.
Thakur further noted that the government is using digital monitoring platforms such as the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) and the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) to track dropout trends and other academic indicators.
To support older students who have fallen out of the education system, financial assistance of up to Rs 2,000 per year is being provided to OoSC in the 16-19 age group from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This support is intended to help them complete their studies through NIOS/SIOS, access learning materials, and obtain certification.
