PANAJI
Goa’s school dropout rate at Class IX and X reported a sharp rise as it stood at 8.1 per cent, almost at par with the national average of 8.2 per cent at the secondary level for the year 2024-25. The drop-out rate was at 7.8 per cent in 2023-24.
According to the Union Education Ministry’s UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) data for the year 2024-25, boys in Goa are dropping out of school at higher rates than girls at preparatory and secondary level, while at middle level, the contribution is equal.
The dropout rate shows the percentage of students leaving school before completing a level—Primary (classes 1–5); upper primary (classes 6–8); and secondary (class 9–10).
At the secondary level, the dropout rate stood at 8.1 per cent, of which 10.9 per cent comprises of boys while 5.1 per cent of girls. In 2023, 24, the dropout rate had decreased to 7.8 per cent from 8.8 per cent in 2022-23.
At the preparatory and middle level, the dropout rate has witnessed an alarming drop as compared to 2023-24. This year, the dropout rate at preparatory stage remained at 0.4 per cent as against 1.0 per cent, while at the middle level, it dropped from 1.1 per cent to 0.8 per cent.
The boys leaving the school at the primary level was around 0.6 per cent while at middle school it is 0.8 per cent, on the other hand, while girls maintained equal share with boys at middle school, at primary level they contribute only 0.2 per cent.
The transition rate from preparatory stage to middle stage, reported marginal decline from 99.7 per cent in 2023-24 to 98.6 per cent this year, while 99 per cent students cleared middle class to enter secondary stage as against 97 per cent last year.
At the same time, though, the State’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) remained above 100 per cent indicating some underage or overage or repeaters were enrolled at preparatory, middle and secondary classes. However, at the foundation stage, GER remained at 70 per cent.
The data shows that Goa’s GER at preparatory stage stood at 118 per cent while 116 per cent at the middle school and 100 per cent at secondary level, making the coastal State third across India with highest GER ratio
State’s Gross Enrolment Ratio -- that compares the enrollment in a specific level of education to the population of the age-group which is most age-appropriate for that level of education -- remained higher across all classes except secondary level.
The UDISE also revealed that of the total 1,479 schools, 62 schools are with single teachers with a total enrollment of 771 students. Similarly, the student-teacher ratio stood at 1:20.
