Abstract:

Title: Factors leading to School Dropouts in Kolkata: A study

Name of the Author: Jayanti Sardar (Neogi)

Affiliated: to the University of Calcutta

Presenting Author: Jayanti Neogi

Email: jayanti.neogi@gmail.com

Keywords: Right to Education, dropouts, gender inequality, sibling care, social outlook

Introduction:

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act is an Act of the Parliament of
India which was enacted on 4 August 2009. This Act makes education a fundamental right of
every child between the ages of 6 and 14 and specifies that no child shall be held back,
expelled, or is required to pass a board examination until the completion of elementary
education. In spite of the Fundamental right, children from certain section of the economy
are deprived from their basic right to go to school.

Objective of the study: This study finds that gender inequality and discrimination is a major
cause for drops among girls. Traditional gender norms such as household chores, sibling
care, and early marriage are major cause for dropouts among girls, whereas low family
income is the reason for dropouts for boys.

Methodology: Data based on pass surveys is used in the study. Addition to this:

(i) Questionnaire survey is executed to understand the structure of the family, number of
dependents in the family, number of children in the family and their health status, access to
educational facilities, net annual income of the family, etc.

(ii) Interviews with school authorities, educators, students, parents and members of selected
NGOs, etc are also taken into account for an unbiased outcome of the study.

Findings: The outcome of the study shows that dropouts from schools are rampant where the
parents are illiterate, where numbers of siblings are more and where the family belongs to the
marginalized section of the community.

The study suggests that unless there is an improvement in the economic status of the
household, change in the social outlook of the family and free access to schools at a close
proximity, the problem of dropouts will inflate with time.