Bhopal: In a bid to improve student enrolment in primary and middle schools across Madhya Pradesh, the government on Tuesday launched the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’.
The four-day campaign (April 1-4) was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav alongside State Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh at an event held in Bhopal.
The initiative aims to encourage parents to enroll their children in government-run schools, thereby addressing the issue of dropouts and ensuring universal education access.
As part of the launch event, CM Yadav visited stalls set up by students from various schools, where he interacted with them and praised their participation in extracurricular activities, including academics, sports, and cultural programs.
According to a report released during the recent budget session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the state faces significant dropout rates among school-going children, particularly in the 15-16 age group — 14.1 per cent of children aged 15-16 years have dropped out of school. Among them, the dropout rate is higher for girls (16.1 per cent) compared to boys (12.2 per cent).
In the 7-10 years age group, the dropout percentage is relatively lower at 1.9 per cent.
Among children aged 11-14 years, 3.2 per cent are out of school.
Overall, dropout rates among girls are consistently higher than those of boys across all age groups.
Nationwide, the dropout rate for children aged 15-16 years stands at 7.9 per cent, which is nearly half of Madhya Pradesh’s 14.1 per cent. Similarly, the national dropout rate for children aged 7-10 years is 1.2 per cent, lower than MP’s 1.9 per cent.
The ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ is designed to combat these worrying trends by promoting awareness about the benefits of government schools, improving infrastructure, and offering incentives for student retention.
(IANS)
