Srinagar, Aug 19 (KNO): At least 37 per cent students of elementary level and 50 per cent students of secondary level quit studies midway in Jammu and Kashmir—raising a question on the functioning of the department.
According to the official documents available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), “Retention rate among students is 63 per cent at elementary level and 50 per cent at secondary level.”
The official figures revealed that the north Kashmir’s Baramulla district has maintained the lowest retention rate in Jammu and Kashmir. “Retention rate is at its lowest in Baramulla district with 41.52 per cent at primary level and 46.68 per cent at elementary levels,” it reads.
The documents further stated that in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and Kishtwar district, the retention rate at elementary level was less than half of the total number of students.
“At elementary level, it is less than 50 per cent in Ganderbal and Kishtwar districts also,” the official figures reveal.
As per the documents, the annual average drop-out rate at secondary level is more than twenty percent in eight districts including Budgam, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kulgam, Kupwara, Rajouri, Ramban and Resai.
Teachers at government-run-schools told KNO that there were various reasons for the less retention rate of students in Jammu and Kashmir.
“There can be various reasons for the dropout rate among the students of elementary and secondary levels. Mostly, the students come from financially unstable families and quit studies midway,” one of the teachers said.
“There are a number of Out of School Children (OoSC) in JK. The students from nomad tribes also give less preference to the studies,” the teacher said—(KNO)