29 lakh failed Class 10 board exams; Odisha records highest dropout of 49.9%: Govt

NEW DELHI: The ministry of education informed the Lok Sabha that 15.5% of the 1.8 crore Class 10 students who appeared in the board exam last year have been declared failed. The highest dropout rate last year was recorded by Odisha, where 49.9% students discontinued their studies.

The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), ministry of education, compiles board-wise examination results for Class 10. As per the Class 10 board exam results 2022-23, “1,89,90,809 students appeared for class tenth examination, of which 1,60,34,671 students were declared passed and 29,56,138 students failed to progress to the Class 11,” the Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in the reply.

During the year 2021, due to Covid-19 pandemic, no exam was held by most boards and students were promoted to the next level using an alternative assessment criteria.

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Highest of 3,98,039 students from the Board of Secondary Education Madhya Pradesh have not qualified the exam last year. Along with the data, the ministry has also shared the failure and dropout rate of the last four years.

Answering a question asked by Lok Sabha member Kalanidhi Veeraswamy on reasons for the failure of pursuing education of students despite the measures taken by the government under New Education Policy (NEP), the minister said: “factors such as not attending the schools, difficulty in following the instruction in schools, lack of interest in the studies, level of difficulty of question paper, lack of quality teachers, lack of support from parents, teachers and schools” are reasons.

Financial aids, initiatives

A total fund of Rs 44,49,394.26 lakh was allocated in the year 2022-23 for school education. The minister said that the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, which is also aligned with NEP 2020, has been implemented to ensure that all children have access to quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment.

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Financial assistance is also provided to the states and UTs to improve enrolment in government schools, strengthening school infrastructure and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) up to Class 12, establishing residential schools among other initiatives. States and UTs can now opt from 88 job roles in 22 sectors as per the skill gap analysis of the state and UTs.