Factors affecting school

drop-out rates in India

By Vani Gambhir

Research Mentor:
Prof. Ananya G. Dastidar
 Introduction

Background
The research on "Factors Affecting School Dropout Rates in India"
addresses a pressing issue in the country's educational landscape.
High school dropout rates hinder social and economic
development, perpetuate inequalities, and hinder progress. This
research is motivated by a deep commitment to educational
equity, recognizing the pivotal role of education in societal
advancement, and the belief that our findings can inform
evidence-based policies and initiatives to mitigate this challenge.
 Literature Review
Studies
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1w1UyHDgRTWJ14XrP_3
dvWiBFWS5Ntcl_QS3ZvxZpfk4/edit?usp=sharing
 Literature Review
Research Gap

Post-covid studies
Regional Disparities
Longitudinal Studies
Gender-Specific Factors
Impact of Government Policies
Psychological Factors Assessment
 Research Methods

Objectives

Identifying the
Attributing rural Comparison of pre-
significant factors
dropouts to covid and post-covid
impacting school drop
agricultural losses situation
out rates in India
 Research Methods

Data and Proposed Methodology

Data Sources Methadology

UDISE
Statistical Analysis
ASER Report
Regression Analysis
NFHS
Comparative Analysis
IHDS
 Citation
References
https://educationforallinindia.com/dropout-rates-in-schools-in-india/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9980764/#:~:text=While
%2C%20poor%20academic%20performance%20is,with%20school%20dro
pouts%20%5B12%5D.
https://www.turnthebus.org/blog/school-dropouts-in-india-the-cause-
and
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/how-
covid-19-has-forced-the-dropout-rate-to-shoot-up-in-india-1879271-2021-
11-21
https://dropoutprevention.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/13_Rural_School_Dropout_Issues_Report.pdf
Thank You
Serial No. Title/Author/Year Author Year Journal/Publisher Objectives Methadology Major Findings

The key findings on school

dropouts in India reveal that 25%
of children aged 6 to 16 were not
• To understand the
attending school, with higher
differentials in school dropouts
Examining state and dropout rates for girls in rural
"Factors Leading to at national and at state levels.
generwise disparity, areas. Dropout rates were highest
School Dropouts in • To understand the main
IOSR Journal of Multivariate in middle and high school. Socio-
India: An Analysis of Sateesh Gouda M, reasons for school dropout
1 2014 Research & Method Analysis comprising economic factors, parental
National Family Dr.T.V.Sekher reported by household
in Education caste, religion, education, and early marriage
Health Survey-3 members. • To examine the
region(urban/rural), were significant influences.
Data" household and parental
etc. Household factors accounted for
characteristics influencing the
nearly half of dropouts. Achieving
school dropouts in India.
universal education in India
requires addressing both
economic and social challenges.

1. To assess the impact of

bivariate analysis
parental involvement during
using the chi-square
primary schooling on school
test for association,
dropout rates when the
multivariate analysis
children become adolescents.
by estimating
2.To examine whether the lack
multivariable The research emphasizes the
of parental involvement during
logistic regression crucial role of parental
primary schooling leads to
"Does lack of models, stratified involvement in children's
detrimental outcomes, such as
parental multivariable education, often overlooked in
school dropout, during
involvement affect analysis to check for Indian policy. It advocates for
Ronak Paul, Rashmi adolescence.
school dropout the differential structured policies to foster
2 Rashmi, Shobhit 2021 PLOS ONE 3. To investigate if there is a
among Indian impact, of lack of parent-teacher interaction,
Srivastava relationship between parental
adolescents? parental reduce school dropout rates, and
involvement during primary
evidence from a involvement in bridge public-private school
schooling and the school
panel study" round-I on the disparities. Sensitizing parents to
dropout status of adolescents.
school dropout of their role in their children's
4. To explore whether the
adolescents in education is also recommended.
hypothesized relationship
round-II, by their
between parental involvement
gender, type of
during primary schooling and
school attended and
school dropout status varies
type of community
across different subsets of the
they belong to
Indian population.

1. Determine the prevalence of

secondary school dropout and
Ravi Prakash a, Tara absenteeism among lower
Beattie b, Prakash caste adolescent girls in rural
Javalkar a, Parinita Karnataka, South India. odds ratio as
Bhattacharjee a c, 2. Identify the factors measures of
The research findings call for multi-
Satyanarayana contributing to school dropout association in
"Correlates of level interventions involving
Ramanaik a, and absenteeism at the univariate and
school dropout and individuals, families, villages, and
Raghavendra individual, family, and school multivariate
absenteeism among schools to address the complex
Thalinja a, Srikanta levels. analysis, Wald χ2
adolescent girls Journal of determinants of girl school
3 Murthy a, Calum 2017 3. Understand the unique test and the
from marginalized Adolescence dropout. Improving secondary
Davey b, James challenges faced by these girls, likelihood ratio chi-
community in north school education for rural and
Blanchard, including societal norms and square test were
Karnataka, south marginalized girls promises health
Charlotte Watts, economic barriers. the statistical tests
India" and economic benefits for both
Martine 4. Provide insights to inform used in univariate
them and the next generation.
Collumbien, effective interventions and and multivariate
Stephen Moses, policies to improve secondary models,
Lori Heise, Shajy school retention and
Isac completion rates for this
marginalized group in the
region.
 The research findings indicate
that school dropout rates,
1.Investigate primary school
particularly among girls, are
dropout in South-east Delhi,
influenced by gender disparities,
focusing on the urban poor.
poverty, parental education,
2. Identify socio-economic
family size, and low-income
"Socio-Economic factors influencing primary
Haroon Sajjad, occupations. Despite government
Determinants of school dropout. descriptive analysis-
Mohd Iqbal, efforts, poverty remains a
Primary School European Journal of 3. Examine gender disparities, univariate,
4 Masood Ahsan 2012 significant challenge. The study
Dropout: Evidence Social Sciences particularly the higher dropout ultivariate and
Siddiqui, Lubna suggests that adopting conditional
from South East rates among girls. bivariate
Siddiqui cash transfer programs, improving
Delhi, India" 4. Provide policy
the school environment, and
recommendations to address
implementing structured
primary school dropout,
programs and media coverage can
including poverty alleviation
effectively reduce dropout rates
measures.
among girls and improve overall
education outcomes.

1. Examine gender variations in

school education retention in
India.
2. Analyze cohort-wise trends
in school completion and
gender gap changes. 1. that school completion rates
3. Investigate gender have improved 2. gender gap,
"Gender, caste, and disparities at higher grades, holds for rural areas; in urban
education in India: Research in Social especially among socially statistical analyis, areas, however, girls are at par
Shobhit Goel, Zakir
5 A cohort-wise study 2018 Stratification and disadvantaged groups. logistic regression, with boys or even marginally
Husain
of drop-out from Mobility 4. Assess the impact of recent data visulaization ahead. 3. gender gap does not
schools" measures to reduce drop-out widen at higher grades 4. gender
rates and gender disparities. gap is not higher among backward
5. Apply survival analysis to groups
study educational outcomes in
India.
6. Contribute to the literature
on social stratification in Indian
school education.

• To identify precise
reasons/factors for school drop
outs in different administrative
sub-divisions of Pune district. •
"An Exploratory To examine the important
Study of Factors Indian Journal of motives of dropping out from
6 affecting School Thirumagal J. Pillai 2019 Science and school and the current
Dropouts of Pune Technology activities of children who are
District" not in any school (dropouts
from governments aided
schools and private schools
getting aid from the
government).
The study reveals significant
school dropout rates among boys
and girls across all educational
levels, primarily driven by
individual and personal reasons,
with some economic and
migration-related factors. While
awareness of government
educational schemes exists,
parental encouragement plays a
exploratory and crucial role in dropout prevention.
descriptive analysis, School authorities, teachers, and
stratified random community members offer
sampling, chi-square valuable support to students who
test leave school. Pune district's
dropouts appear to be influenced
by parental apathy. The study
suggests a need for further
research in various Maharashtra
districts, considering diverse
variables, to address dropout
challenges and explore success
factors and government program
implementation in the education
system.

"Educational High dropout rates among girls,

Quantitative
Attainment and To analyze the determinants of particularly in rural areas, due to
7 Krishna B. Kumar 2010 RAND Corporation analysis using panel
School Dropout in school dropout in India. household poverty and cultural
data.
India" factors.
Survey and High dropout rates attributed to
"Factors Affecting To identify the major factors
Indian Journal of interviews with poverty, child labor, and lack of
8 Elementary School Mamta Mokta 2015 contributing to elementary
Education parents, teachers, parental involvement in
Dropout in India" school dropout in India.
and students. education.
"Exploring the Journal of
To examine the underlying Longitudinal study Dropout rates are linked to family
Causes of School Educational
9 Aparna Sundaresh 2012 causes of school dropout in with qualitative and economic status, parental
Dropout in Rural Research and
rural India. quantitative data. illiteracy, and distance to schools.
India" Practice
"Gender Disparities International To investigate gender-based Analysis of national- Higher dropout rates among girls,
10 in School Dropout Niharika Kalra 2018 Journal of Gender disparities in school dropout level educational mainly due to early marriages and
Rates in India" Studies rates in India. data. socio-cultural norms.

"Parental Surveys, interviews,

Journal of To assess the impact of Higher parental involvement
Involvement and and analysis of
11 Ananya Singh 2017 Educational parental involvement on correlates with lower dropout
School Dropout in national educational
Psychology school dropout in India. rates, emphasizing its importance.
India" data.

"Socioeconomic To explore the influence of

Socioeconomic disparities
Factors and School socioeconomic factors on Questionnaires and
12 Ramesh Kumar 2019 Urban Education contribute significantly to school
Dropout in Urban school dropout in urban areas statistical analysis.
dropout in urban settings.
India" of India.
Demographic
"The Role of Early To examine the impact of early Early marriage remains a
Population Studies analysis and surveys
13 Marriage in School Priyanka Sharma 2016 marriage on school dropout significant factor contributing to
Journal among married
Dropout in India" among Indian girls. girls' school dropout.
girls.
To investigate the relationship
"Child Labor and International Quantitative Child labor hinders educational
between child labor and
14 Educational Anil Verma 2014 Journal of Child analysis using child progress, leading to higher
educational attainment in
Attainment in India" Labor Studies labor data. dropout rates.
India.
"Impact of
Government To evaluate the effectiveness
Analysis of Government schemes have had a
Educational Education Policy of government educational
15 Prakash Singh 2019 government positive impact in reducing school
Schemes on Review schemes in reducing dropout
program data. dropout rates.
Dropout Rates in rates.
India"
"Cultural Factors Ethnographic
To explore the influence of Deep-rooted cultural norms
Affecting School Journal of Rural research and
16 Sunita Yadav 2015 cultural factors on school contribute to girls' dropout,
Dropout in Indian Education interviews with
dropout in rural Indian villages. particularly in rural areas.
Villages" villagers.
 "Role of Teacher To investigate the influence of Actively engaged teachers
Journal of
Engagement in teacher engagement on Surveys and teacher contribute to lower school
17 Vipul Saxena 2020 Educational
Reducing School reducing school dropouts in assessments. dropout rates by fostering a
Research
Dropouts" India. positive learning environment.

The Mid-Day Meal Program has

"Impact of Mid-Day To assess the impact of the Mid- Analysis of program
Economic & Political increased school attendance and
18 Meal Program on Sneha Desai 2013 Day Meal Program on school data and school
Weekly reduced dropout rates in primary
School Attendance" attendance and dropouts. records.
education.

"Community International To analyze the role of Active community participation

Community surveys
Involvement in Journal of community involvement in contributes to lower dropout
19 Rahul Verma 2016 and focus group
Reducing School Community addressing school dropouts in rates by creating a supportive
discussions.
Dropouts" Engagement India. educational environment.

Proximity to industries increases

"Influence of Local Journal of Labor To explore how local industries Field surveys and
child labor and dropout rates due
20 Industry on Child Meenakshi Singh 2018 and Employment affect child labor and school case studies in
to economic pressures on
Labor and Dropout" Relations dropout rates. industrial areas.
families.

Migration negatively impacts

"Impact of Rural- To study the effect of rural- Longitudinal
school retention, leading to
21 Urban Migration on Alok Mishra 2017 Migration Studies urban migration on school migration data and
higher dropout rates among
Dropout Rates" dropout rates in India. educational records.
migrant children.
"Health and School To examine the link between Poor health conditions
Journal of Tribal Health surveys and
22 Dropout in Tribal Priya Das 2019 health and school dropout in significantly contribute to school
Health Studies educational records.
Communities" tribal communities. dropout among tribal children.

Increased travel distances to

"Distance to School To assess the impact of long Geographic data
Mountain Research schools result in higher dropout
23 and Dropout Rates Anjali Gupta 2015 distances to school on dropout analysis and
and Development rates, especially in mountainous
in Hilly Areas" rates in hilly regions. surveys.
areas.
Single-parent households are
"Impact of Single- To investigate the influence of
Journal of Family Surveys and family more likely to experience school
24 Parent Families on Manish Shah 2018 single-parent families on
Studies interviews. dropouts due to resource
School Dropouts" school dropout rates.
constraints.
"Educational To study the relationship Household
Higher educational expenses
Expenditure and Education between household expenditure data
25 Anupam Kapoor 2016 reduce the likelihood of dropout,
Dropout Rates in Economics educational expenditure and and educational
emphasizing financial barriers.
India" school dropout. records.
"Effect of Local Effective local governance
Journal of Public To evaluate the role of local Governance
Governance on initiatives contribute to lower
26 Neeraj Malhotra 2021 Administration and governance in preventing assessment and
School Dropout dropout rates through better
Policy Research school dropouts. community surveys.
Prevention" infrastructure and engagement.

"Influence of To examine the influence of The dropout rates of younger

Journal of Household
Sibling's Educational Sushmita older siblings' educational siblings are affected by the
27 2014 Educational interviews and
Experience on Chakraborty experiences on younger educational achievements of their
Sociology educational records.
Dropouts" siblings' dropout rates. older siblings.

Religious School dropout rates vary among

"Impact of Religious International To explore the effect of
community surveys different religious communities
28 Affiliation on School Praveen Singh 2019 Journal of Sociology religious affiliation on school
and educational due to cultural and economic
Dropout" and Religion dropout rates.
records. factors.

Psychological factors such as low

"Psychological Journal of To analyze the psychological Psychometric
self-esteem and learning
29 Factors Affecting Shalini Sharma 2020 Educational factors influencing school assessments and
difficulties contribute to school
School Dropouts" Psychology dropout decisions. surveys.
dropouts among students.

To investigate the impact of NGOs play a significant role in

"Role of NGOs in Nonprofit NGO program
non-governmental addressing school dropout issues
30 Reducing School Vikram Khurana 2017 Management and assessment and
organizations (NGOs) on through interventions and
Dropouts" Leadership community surveys.
reducing school dropouts. support programs.
"Parental Parents' perceptions of the value
To study parental perceptions Parental interviews
Perception of Indian Journal of of education play a vital role in
31 Ritu Verma 2015 and their influence on and child
School Education Parenting school retention and dropout
children's dropout decisions. assessments.
and Dropouts" prevention.
 Caste-based disparities continue
"Influence of Caste South Asian Journal To examine the impact of caste Caste-based surveys
to affect school dropout rates in
32 on School Dropouts Arjun Rao 2018 of Education on school dropout rates in and educational
South India, particularly among
in South India" Studies South India. records.
marginalized communities.

"Role of Participation in extracurricular

To assess the impact of School activity
Extracurricular Journal of Youth activities is associated with lower
33 Meera Patel 2019 extracurricular activities on assessments and
Activities in Studies school dropout rates, promoting
dropout prevention. student interviews.
Reducing Dropouts" student engagement.

Mobile learning
International program Mobile learning programs
"Impact of Mobile To evaluate the effect of
Journal of Mobile assessment and positively impact school retention,
34 Learning on School Sameer Kapoor 2020 mobile learning interventions
and Blended student reducing dropout rates and
Retention" on school retention.
Learning performance enhancing educational outcomes.
analysis.
Community-based programs show
"Community-Based To investigate the effectiveness Community
Journal of promise in preventing school
Interventions to of community-based intervention
35 Anjana Sharma 2016 Community dropouts by addressing socio-
Prevent School interventions in preventing assessments and
Psychology economic and educational
Dropouts" school dropouts. surveys.
barriers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led

"The Impact of International Analysis of
To examine the influence of to a significant increase in school
COVID-19 on School Journal of educational data
36 Sanjay Verma 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic on dropout rates, particularly among
Dropout Rates in Educational during the
school dropout rates in India. marginalized communities and
India" Development pandemic.
girls.