Mohali, February 27
Punjab has the highest rate of school dropouts in the region. The state has been left behind by Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, and strife-ridden Jammu and Kashmir is fast catching up.

Analysis of the enrolment ratio and dropout figures released by the ministry of human resource development yesterday shows that among the states, Himachal Pradesh is on the top in the region and, in many ways, the country. Among the union territories, Chandigarh is doing very well in the region. But, undoubtedly, on the peak in school education in India is the small UT Puducherry (Pondicherry).

Bihar continues to hold its dubious reputation of being the worst in India. However, Assam and West Bengal can soon give Bihar competition for this position.

Another fact brought out from the data is the strange thing that has been happening in some North-Eastern states. The enrolment of students in classes I to V is the highest in some of these states and so is the dropout rate. In Meghalaya, for example, the enrolment ratio in classes I to V in 2002 was among the highest in the country but the same year the dropout rate from classes I to X was also as high as 80 per cent.

The data released by the ministry to the press information bureau is a bit outdated as it relates to figures from 2002 to 2005. Nonetheless, the trends are an eyeopener.

School dropout rates are the highest in Assam, Bihar, Nagaland, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Meghalaya. These are the lowest in Pudocherry, Chandigarh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. However, in Pudocherry the dropout rates are almost zero till one reaches the higher classes when these go up to almost 20 per cent.

In Chandigarh in 2003-2004, the figures are in the negative in lower classes but increase marginally in the higher classes.

However, the next year Chandigarh falls from its position quite substantially with an increase in dropout rates in all classes.

Himachal Pradesh shows an improvement during this period. From almost 32 per cent dropout rate in 2003-2004 to a zero dropout rate in the higher classes next year is no mean achievement. Specially when the national average of dropouts in classes I to X that year was over 60 per cent.

Haryana schools performed better than Punjab during this period but its own position worsened. It showed remarkable achievement in reducing the dropout rates in primary classes from 13 per cent to 4 per cent but an increase from 26 per cent to over 30 per cent in the higher classes.

The number of school dropouts has decreased marginally in Punjab but the overall picture offers nothing to write home about. The number of dropouts continues to hover between 48 and 44 per cent in the higher classes and ranges between 25 and 23 per cent in the primary classes.

Compared to the national average of 60.92 per cent, Bihar dropouts from classes I to X were over 83 per cent in 2004-2005 followed by Meghalaya and West Bengal.

The ministry has also released enrolment ratio figures of this period. In 2004-2005, Manipur and Meghalaya are among the top for classes I to V and surprisingly, Chandigarh is the lowest followed by Punjab. Yes, both are worse than Bihar. Haryana too does not do too well and Himachal barely crosses the national average 107.80 that year. That year, for classes VI to VIII, Himachal’s enrolment ratio is the highest in the country and Punjab registers less than the national average. For classes IX to XII the enrolment ratio of Himachal again tops the country. West Bengal and Bihar compete for the last position.