City records highest school dropout rate in State

The City has the highest rate of children dropping out of schools in the State, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Public Instruction.

An estimated 2,682 children have dropped out of schools in Bangalore South in the last two months and this is the highest number in the State.

This figure in December last year was, 1,897 children. So far as Bangalore North is concerned, a total of 1,823 children have dropped out of school in the last two months.Bangalore Rural better

The situation was much better in Bangalore Rural as the dropouts during the same period was an estimated 100 children.

The trend, if allowed to persist, is bound to reverse the progress achieved last year. For example, in December last year, the Department was able to bring back as many as 887 children back to school against the target of 1,162.

3,500 children

The most dramatic turnaround was made in the district of Ramanagara, where a target of bringing back 3,500 children school was set.

The Department, however, exceeded the target by bringing back 3,904 children to schools in the district.     

A number of other districts had high rates of school dropouts as well.

Gulbarga with a figure of 2,068 had the second highest number out of school children and Gadag stood third with 1,966 such children in the last two months. 

The lowest figures were in the educational districts of Uttara Kannada and Sirsi with 44 and 58 dropouts respectively.

A total of 22,238 children have already dropped out of school across the State so far in 2013. In December 2012, as many as 17,558 remained out of school, despite DPI’s initiatives to bring them back.