High dropouts, teacher crunch and fund gaps cripple Samagra Shiksha in West Bengal: CAG

KOLKATA: A high dropout rate, teacher shortage and poor utilisation of central funds have affected the implementation of the Samagra Shiksha scheme in West Bengal, according to a performance audit report by the CAG. The audit, which examined scheme execution across the state between 2019-20 and 2023-24, highlighted a massive 28 to 42 per cent transition loss between upper primary and higher secondary levels.

The audit team conducted a field survey of 581 out-of-school kids across 21 high schools in six test-checked districts to ascertain the reasons behind the high dropout rate.

"The survey highlighted dropouts mainly due to financial constraints, early marriage and intentions of early earnings among students," the report said.

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CAG findings

According to the findings, poverty and financial hardship emerged as the biggest driver, with 53 per cent of surveyed parents citing financial distress for pulling their children out of school.

Another 14 per cent reported unwillingness among students to continue studies, 13 per cent stated migration for work, and 12 per cent attributed the discontinuation of education to early marriage.

It found that over 500 schools were functional without a single teacher. The report flagged critical structural gaps in teacher deployment and Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR) across state-run schools.

8% of schools with a single teacher

"Eight per cent (5,152 schools) of schools in the state were running with only a single teacher, affecting 1,76,491 students, and 520 schools had no teachers, which impacted the education of 8,596 students," the CAG report stated.

In contrast, the audit pointed out severe administrative imbalances, where 40,530 head teachers were posted in schools with fewer than 150 students, violating Right to Education (RTE) deployment norms.

The report noted that 29 per cent of primary schools and 30 per cent of upper primary schools failed to achieve the minimum PTR norms due to a deficit of 31,684 primary and 2,058 upper primary teachers, respectively. At the higher secondary level, 79 per cent of schools exceeded the prescribed PTR limits.

Examining public finance management, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) observed that scheme fund utilisation in the state ranged between a low 46 and 65 per cent over the five-year period.

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Delay in fund release

"Delays in release of funds by the central and the state governments and delay in execution of targeted interventions exhibited fiscal indiscipline, weakening the outcome in achieving the scheme's objectives," the audit remarked.

The report detailed that the non-execution of sanctioned civil works forced the state to surrender Rs 395 crore meant for school infrastructure. Furthermore, execution inefficiencies and delays directly caused a short receipt of Rs 2,428 crore in central funding, restricting the scheme's overall coverage.

Addressing the audit conclusions, the state school education department in its official reply in August 2025 stated that the decline in enrolment at senior levels occurs as "some students start earning after completion of secondary level education, whereas some migrate after completion of secondary level education."

Acknowledging the state's response, the CAG emphasised that "there was significant dropout/transition loss after secondary level of education" and recommended that the department initiate community awareness drives, counselling sessions, and periodic surveys to identify out-of-school children and bring them back into formal schooling.