In global perspective, it is an incontestable fact that the progress of a nation is highly dependent on the education of their citizens. Education plays a central role and has a cross cutting impact on all aspects of human life. It is a vital investment for human and economic development.

Analysis

• According to the 2011 Census, the number of out-of-school children in the 5-17 age group was 8.4 crore. However, according to a survey commissioned in 2014 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the number of out-of-school children in the 6-13 age group was only 60.64 lakh.
• According to our estimate, out-of-school children in this age group were more than 4.5 crore in the country, which is 16.1% of the children in this age group.
• We also found that the proportion of out-of-school children was higher in rural India (17.2%) than in urban India (13.1%).
• In rural areas, the proportion of out-of-school girls (18.3%) was higher than of boys (16.3%). The proportion of children from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) was the highest, followed by Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
• Analysing the data collected from these two blocks, we found that the most important reason for boys to drop out of school was to take up jobs to supplement the family earning; for girls, it was the compulsion to participate in household work.
• We would not have been confronted with this high proportion of drop-outs if all the provisions of the RTE Act had been implemented within the time limit prescribed in the Act (latest by April 2015). For example, the Act provided for the availability of a school at a distance of 1 km from the residence of the child at the primary level and 3 km at the upper primary level.
• Until an adequate number of schools at the prescribed distances from the children’s homes becomes available, it would be necessary to provide secure modes of subsidised travel to schools, particularly for girls. Another important provision which ought to have been included in the RTE is financial support to poor parents, adequate to enable them to send their children to school.
• The most important social reason for drop-out is lack of awareness of the importance of school education and of the fact that education is now a legal right.

Reasons for dropout

• Physical disorders leading to dropout: Several children had one form of physical disorder or another, often severe enough to prevent them from attending school. Children with severe, some congenital, cardiac problems were kept at home on the recommendation of their doctors.
• Family issues: Parental separation and ill heath often led to the need for girl children to work or stay back at home to care for younger siblings. Older boys dropped out to find work. Children who were orphans found foster homes with relatives. Alcohol abuse, dependency, and illicit brewing of alcohol by the parents were issues in some. The outcome was family bickering, quarrels, and the development of problems in children. A few children were from families who led a nomadic existence, moving from place to place seeking employment resulting in the child moving from school to school.
• Issues related to school: Some families pointed out issues such as an inability to buy textbooks and a lack of transport to attend school. Several had failed a class and dropped out of school in subsequently. Some were moved to a different school and later stopped attending.
• Financial: This constituted the largest group amongst reasons given for dropout

Education is vital for economic development. According to Vision 2030, “Education is key component of economic growth because it has directly influence on entrepreneurship, productivity growth and then increases employment opportunities and women empowerment. Education helps in making potential youth for the enhancement of ability, creativity and systematically skills to contest with the fast changing Global inclination. Students drop outs reduces literacy rate of country and non-innovative environment.

Conclusion:

• Due to Students drop outs economy also have to pay cost; class of students’ dropouts will cost the country over $200 billion during their existence in lost earnings and unrealized tax revenue every year. People without education unable to get jobs and more likely to spend their lives jobless or on government assistance. These students often struggle with poverty, abuse or neglect in their homes. It is imperative investment for human and economic development.
• This human capital accelerates economic activity and development. Extensive literature review has been conducted to conceptualize the theme of study, and to generalize the concept to a wider range of population. Comparative analysis of past studies has been conducted in order to find out various causes of students dropouts. Researcher tries to emphasize on logical reasoning while discussing the objectives and giving suggestions in the study.
• According to a recent report in The Telegraph, the MHRD has already initiated a new system of tracking drop-out rates by students’ Aadhar IDs, so that early intervention can be made to bring the child back to school. The data will be maintained by the National University for Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA).