Minimally disrupted schooling can reduce high drop-out rates

States must promote schools that go from the primary to higher secondary level to minimize transition ordeals in education

are, respectively, chairman of the EAC-PM, secretary of the department of school education & literacy at the ministry of education, and officer on special duty at EAC-PM.

From 2014 to 2023, the education sector in India has witnessed notable strides in student enrolment and retention, with the gross enrolment ratio (GER) for secondary education increasing from 75.7% to 79.2%, and for higher secondary from 46.3% to 56.8%. Retention rates at the elementary level rose from 67.4% to 75.8%, and at the secondary level from 57.2% to 65.5%, signalling advances in educational engagement and policy efficacy. Nevertheless, the fact that neither the GER nor retention rates have reached 100%, a target that the National Education Policy aims to achieve by 2030, underscores the challenges that exist.

Attrition in the school system tends to occur at critical transition points, particularly during class changes at the 6th, 9th and 11th grades.

But why are there so many transition points? Not many know this, but in many states, students have to navigate through an array of 10 distinct school types, including high secondary schools (HSSs) for grades 6-12, HSSs for grades 1-12, HSSs for grades 9-12, secondary schools (SSs) for grades 1-10, HSSs for grades 11-12, SSs for grades 6-10, upper primary schools (UPSs) for grades 1-8, SSs for grades 9-10, UPSs for grades 6-8 and primary schools (PSs) for grades 1-5. Each school category represents a potential transition point, necessitating adjustments that can be challenging for students.

Data for 2023 from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) also supports this hypothesis. It reveals a stark pattern of student attrition at pivotal transitional stages within the education system, with the most significant dropouts occurring at junctures where students are required to change schools—specifically after classes 5, 8 and 10. Class 6 sees almost 1.7 million students drop out as they move from primary to upper primary school, while class 9 records nearly 2.5 million students leaving, likely due to the shift to upper secondary education and the associated increase in academic rigour. Class 11 has an even more pronounced attrition rate, with almost 4.2 million students not progressing from class 10 to 11. In total, these transitions contribute to an alarming annual drop-out figure of approximately 12.4 million students from an initial cohort of 250 million, indicating that nearly 5% of students are lost at transition points due to school changes. This highlights a critical need for structural reforms to reduce these educational disruptions.

It needs to be emphasized that composite schools offering a complete spectrum of classes from 1-12 boast a retention rate of nearly 100%, a stark contrast to the decline seen in institutions with a narrower grade range. Yet, a critical question arises: What drives the significant drop-out rates at these pivotal transition stages?

Ecological systems theory provides a useful framework for understanding this. According to this theory developed by psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner, an individual’s development is influenced by different environmental systems, ranging from the immediate surroundings, such as family and school, to broader societal factors, including education policy and cultural norms.

At each transitional phase, students must acclimatize to new educational environments, teaching methods and peer groups. These adjustments demand resilience and adaptability, which, if not adequately supported, can lead to disengagement and eventually drop-outs.

The fact that the GER and retention rates haven’t reached 100% can be analysed through the challenges presented at transition points. As students move from one educational level to another, they are not just transitioning within the immediate environment of a school (the microsystem), but also navigating the larger educational structure (the exo-system), which encompasses various school types and educational policies that mandate these transitions.

The meso-system, which includes the interplay between various layers of a child’s environment, is disrupted when students transition between the 10 different school types. The lack of continuity across these transitions can create friction in the meso-system, leading to a lack of engagement and increased drop-out rates, as highlighted by the stark drop-out figures at classes 6, 9 and 11.

Furthermore, data suggests that the complexity of navigating through different school types and the educational disruptions that occur as a result are contributing factors to the high drop-out rates. It indicates a need for systemic reform at the exosystem level to create a more seamless educational pathway and reduce friction within the meso-system. The near 100% retention rates in schools that operate all class levels indicate that a stable and consistent learning environment (i.e., a strong meso-system) holds the key to reducing drop-outs. This suggests that government policies at the macro-system level should focus on supporting schools that provide a comprehensive K-12 education, thereby minimizing transitions and stabilizing the meso-system for students.

The primary reason for drop-outs at transition points can be traced to disruptions of the student’s ecological system. When transition points are poorly managed and the educational system needs more cohesion, students can experience increased stress, decreased engagement and challenges that can overwhelm their ability to adapt, leading to higher drop-out rates. Thus, state governments should promote schools with all class levels and remove all transition points. This will significantly increase the schooling retention rate across the board.

These are the authors’ personal views.