**Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Nearly Half of Primary Students Drop Out Before Middle School, Survey Reveals**
The Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education, 2025, highlights a critical issue in Madhya Pradesh’s education system — nearly 49% of students enrolled in primary education do not continue to middle school. The state reports a primary enrolment rate of 41.7%, which sharply declines to just 21.3% at the middle school level, underscoring significant challenges in student retention.
**Enrolment and Dropout Rates Across States**
| Level | MP | India | UP | TN | Kerala |
|———|——-|——–|——-|——-|——–|
| Primary | 41.7% | 41.6% | 47.9% | 36.0% | 34.3% |
| Middle | 21.3% | 22.0% | 21.5% | 24.1% | 19.7% |
| Drop (pp) | 20.4 | 19.6 | 26.4 | 11.9 | 14.6 |
| Drop (%) | 48.9 | 47.1 | 55.1 | 33.1 | 42.6 |
*pp = percentage points*
**Where Does Madhya Pradesh Stand?**
Madhya Pradesh’s dropout rate of nearly 49% between primary and middle school is alarming, implying that almost half of the children enrolled at the primary level discontinue before completing middle school. This rate is slightly above the national average of 47.1% and notably higher than states like Tamil Nadu, which records a dropout rate of just 33.1%.
On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh faces an even more concerning dropout rate of 55.1%, reflecting broader regional issues in retaining students beyond primary education.
**Positive Trends in Gender and Geographic Enrolment**
Encouragingly, Madhya Pradesh shows a slightly higher enrolment rate for females (21.9%) compared to males (20.8%) at the middle school level. This is a positive signal, considering the historical gender gap in education.
Additionally, enrolment rates are quite balanced between urban (22.1%) and rural (21.0%) areas. As noted by CBSE resource person Manoj Bajpai, this suggests that access challenges affect students consistently across geographic locations.
**How Do Dropouts Affect More Than Just Education?**
CBSE coordinator UK Jha sheds light on the wider implications of the steep enrolment decline from primary to middle school:
– **Human capital development is at risk**, with many children missing out on foundational education necessary for higher learning and skill acquisition.
– **Economic growth potential could be constrained** in the long term, due to lower literacy and skill levels in the future workforce.
– **Continued efforts toward gender equality are essential**, as sustained female enrolment plays a critical role in women’s empowerment and socio-economic progress.
**Steps to Stem the Dropout Wave**
Educationist Keran Bahadur recommends the following measures to address the dropout crisis:
– Improve middle school infrastructure and access, particularly in rural and tribal areas.
– Introduce retention incentives and targeted interventions to keep children, especially girls, in school.
– Enhance community awareness and support initiatives to overcome socio-economic barriers causing dropouts.
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Addressing these challenges is vital for securing a better educational future for Madhya Pradesh’s children and unlocking the state’s full socio-economic potential.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/49-students-drop-out-before-middle-school-in-madhya-pradesh