Department of School Education Takes Action to Address Dropouts with Door-to-Door Survey

Bhubaneswar: Dropout students will be brought back into the mainstream. A survey will be conducted to understand the reasons behind dropping out. Teachers will investigate why students have stopped attending school midway. From tomorrow until May 5, teachers from primary, upper primary, and high schools will go door to door to conduct this survey. They have been instructed to spend 2 to 3 hours a day on this task. The collected data will be uploaded via a dedicated mobile application provided by the department. A letter regarding this has been sent to all district education officers from the School and Mass Education Department.

According to the letter, approximately 48,044 children are currently out of school in the state, based on UDISE data. These dropouts span across primary, upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools. During the survey, child laborers will also be identified. If the children or their parents are laborers, that will also be recorded.

Key points:

► The survey will run from today until May 5
► Data will be uploaded online through an app
► A pilot survey has already been successfully completed in Kamakhyanagar block

The survey will focus on children aged 6 to 18 to determine why they are not attending school or why they have distanced themselves from education. The initial pilot survey in Kamakhyanagar block of Dhenkanal district was successful.

In joint families, the survey will include the names of the child’s parents.
Teachers will identify dropout students by visiting homes. Block Education Officers (BEOs) and CRCCs will expedite the process. Teachers conducting the survey must compulsorily install the mobile application provided by the department and are not allowed to share it with anyone else. Until the department issues further instructions, the app must not be deleted or uninstalled.

BEOs must monitor at least 3 to 4 clusters. Similarly, District Education Officers will inspect a minimum of 2 blocks. CRCCs will visit 4 schools. After the survey, headmasters must report data daily to CRCCs. CRCCs will then compile the data at the cluster level and submit it to the Block Education Officer.