National Human Development Report: 2001 - Indira Gandhi Institute ...

56EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTS AND WELL-BEINGNATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2001Adjusted Intensity of FormalEducation (Years)4.54.03.53.02.52.01.51.04.54.03.53.02.52.01.51.0Gender Gap1981 1991Rural-Urban Gap1981 1991BoysChildrenGirlsUrbanCombinedRuralclasses I-V and 43 per cent for classes VI-VIII. In rural areas this ratio was 63and 39 per cent, respectively, for these classes. The corresponding ratios forurban areas were higher at 78 per cent for classes I-V and 58 per cent forclasses VI-VIII. Moreover, while gender gap in the ratios for rural areas wassignificant, more so for classes VI-VIII, it was not so in urban areas. At Statelevel, for classes I-V the ratio was significantly lower than the nationalaverage for Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from these threeStates, for classes VI-VIII, the ratio was also lower than the national averagein the States of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.Drop Out Rate is the percentage of students dropping out of aclass/classes in a given year. Along with students repeating a class, the dropout rate gives an indication about the wastage of school education and tendsto undermine benefits of increased enrolments. Indicators such as drop outrate or school attendance rates can therefore, qualitatively supplement theuse of enrolment indicators, such as the one discussed here, to capture theflow aspect of educational attainment in any context. Though, the drop outrate at national level for India has been declining, there is considerableregional disparity in the magnitude. As per the latest estimates available fromthe Ministry of Human Resource Development, of students enrolled inclasses I-V, over 40 per cent dropped out in 1999-00, as against 58.7 per centin 1980-81 and 65 per cent in 1960-61. Similarly, nearly 55 per cent ofstudents enrolled in classes I-VIII dropped out in 1999-00 as against nearly73 per cent in 1980-81and 78 per cent in 1960-61. The drop out rate hasbeen higher for girls. It was 42.3 per cent for classes I-V and 58 per cent forclasses I-VIII in 1999-00 as against 62.5 per cent and 79.4 per cent,respectively, in 1980-81. At State level, the drop out rate has been quite highin Bihar, Jammu-Kashmir, Orissa, Rajasthan, UP, West Bengal and most ofthe States in North East for classes I-V and in Andhra Pradesh, Assam,Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Orissa and West Bengal, apart from the NorthEastern States for classes I-VIII in 1999-00. The drop out rate in classes I-Xwas over 68 per cent for the country.A NSSO survey for the year 1995-96 showed that drop out rateincreases cumulatively with level of education. It was estimated that of theever enrolled persons in the age group 5-24 years 21 per cent dropped outbefore completing primary levels. Half the children dropped out attainingmiddle level, over three-fourths dropped out before attaining secondarylevels and 9 out of ten persons ever enrolled could not complete schooling.The drop out rate was least for those belonging to the highest expenditureclass and maximum for those from the lowest expenditure class. The surveyalso found that the ratio of those dropping out by secondary school level tothose dropping out by primary level was the least in the lowest class,increasing with every quintile and was maximum for the highest quintile.This implies that children from poorer sections of the society drop out in theearly stages of education, while those from the better off sections drop out atlater stages. Among reasons for dropping out from schools, it was found thatone-third of the drop outs were because either the children or their parentswere not interested and nearly as many were on account of economicconsiderations, such as the compulsion to work for wages or looking afteryounger siblings. About 26 per cent cited, school and teaching curricularelated factors such as unfriendly atmosphere in schools, doubts about theusefulness of schooling and inability to cope with studies as reasons for theirdropping out. Among girls in rural areas, these factors accounted for over 75