Why Are Delhi’s Students Dropping Out? Inside The Education Department’s Push To Fix Low Attendance And Learning Gaps

Getting children into schools is only one part of the challenge facing Delhi’s education system. As students move from primary to higher levels of education, attendance steadily declines, with fewer making it through the system. The pattern raises questions about what drives students away from classrooms, why early adolescence appears to be a critical point in their schooling, and whether existing measures are enough to ensure retention.

The Delhi education department has now set November 15 as the deadline for a 26-member task force-cum-advisory committee to recommend measures to reduce dropout rates, improve learning outcomes and address the impact of low attendance on the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in low-performing schools under the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0.

Constituted on August 17 under the Samagra Shiksha Society, the committee is examining the challenges affecting student attendance and retention. Its recommendations are expected to identify interventions at the school, district and headquarters levels.

According to the minutes of the September 9 meeting, accessed by HT, the Delhi State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will identify 10 schools in each district facing these challenges and conduct an in-depth study to establish the underlying factors.

“Based on the analysis undertaken by SCERT, the Task Force shall recommend practical, feasible, and suggestive interventions at the school, district, and headquarters levels for improving attendance, reducing dropout rates, and enhancing student engagement. The recommendations shall be submitted by November 15, 2026,” one of the 18 decisions taken by the committee stated.

What Does The Data Say About Student Retention?

Data from the Economic Survey of Delhi 2025-26 shows a gradual decline in school attendance as students progress through the education system. While access to schooling and initial enrolment have improved over the past decade, student retention continues to be a significant challenge.

The sharpest decline occurs between primary and upper primary levels, indicating that the transition into early adolescence may be a crucial point at which students begin to disengage from school. Attendance continues to fall at subsequent stages, suggesting that the problem is not confined to one particular transition.

By the time students reach the higher education level, less than a quarter remain in the system.

The trend highlights a gap between enrolment and continued participation in education. While children may enter the school system, ensuring that they remain enrolled and attend classes consistently as they grow older is a more persistent challenge.

How Could Migration And Pollution Affect Attendance?

The education department’s committee is also examining the role of external factors in students’ absence from school.

Seasonal migration, family movement and pollution-related restrictions have been identified as factors that could affect attendance. The committee has decided that these patterns should be studied using data to understand how they influence students’ ability to remain in school.

The analysis will cover the periods during which students are absent, the duration of their absence, whether and when they return to school, and the areas and schools most affected.

The committee will also examine the factors determining whether children return to classrooms or continue to remain absent. The exercise, which is expected to be completed by November 30, 2026, is intended to help develop area-specific responses.

This would allow the department to distinguish between different causes of absenteeism rather than treating all cases of low attendance as the same problem.

Why Is Teacher Availability Being Examined?

Student attendance and learning outcomes are also being assessed alongside teacher availability and staffing patterns in schools.

The committee has identified the student-teacher ratio as a key factor in understanding the challenges faced by low-performing schools. Its assessment will consider the sanctioned strength of teachers, the number actually available, vacancies, and the distribution of regular, guest and contractual teachers.

The deployment of teachers for non-teaching duties will also be examined, along with the overall student-teacher ratio.

The committee has further called for school-level task forces to be established in the identified schools to address these challenges.

What Measures Could Improve Student Retention?

The committee has emphasised the need to focus on both student retention and enrolment, with parental involvement identified as one of the possible interventions.

The “Star Parent” initiative is among the measures being considered to strengthen engagement with parents.

The broader exercise is aimed at identifying practical interventions across schools, districts and the education department’s headquarters. Rather than focusing solely on dropout numbers, the committee’s study will examine the factors affecting attendance, student engagement and learning outcomes.

With the November 15 deadline set for its recommendations, the task force is expected to outline measures to address the gaps in Delhi’s school education system. A separate data-based assessment of migration, pollution and other attendance-related factors is due by November 30, 2026.