Economic Survey 2023: School Enrolment Rate Increase, Steady Decline In Dropouts

The Economic Survey 2022-23 highlights a significant increase in school enrolment GER in FY22, and a steady decline in school dropout rate in recent years.

Economic Survey 2023 Underlines Increase In School Enrolment Rate, Decline In School Dropouts (Representational Image)

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Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the Economic Survey 2023 in the parliament today, January 31, 2023. With reference to the education sector, the survey underlined how the government’s thrust on “Quality Education,” in sync with the National Education Policy 2020, aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.

The Economic Survey 2022-23 highlights a marked improvement in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and Gender Parity in schools. The GER for primary school enrolment for classes I to V for both boys and girls as a percentage of the population in the age group of 6 to 10 years, has improved in the FY22. 

The GER improvement in the FY22 comes as a reverse trend in contrast to the declining GER trends observed in the FY17 and FY19. Compared to the stagnant GER in Upper Primary Enrolment (enrolment in class VI to VIII as a percent of the population in age 11-13 year) between FY17 to FY19, there has been a significant increase in FY22. Interestingly, in the corresponding age groups at the Primary and Upper Primary levels, the GER of girls is better than boys. 

Besides improved GER in school enrolment, the Economic Survey 2022-23 has also picked out the welcoming decrease in school drop-out rates. As per the survey, there has been a steady decline in school drop out rates at all levels in recent years. The decline has been seen for both boys and girls. The laying down of inclusive schemes like the Samagra Shiksha, RTE Act, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and the PM POSHAN, alongside the upgradation of school infrastructure and other facilities, availability and upskilling of teachers through proper training, free textbooks and uniforms for children have made a collective yet significant contribution in the retention of children in schools.