How Covid-19 has forced the dropout rate to shoot up in India and what we can do

Sabin, a primary school student from Delhi slums, had to drop out of school because her parents could no longer educate three children on their pandemic-affected meager income. Unemployment has been rising since the Covid-19 pandemic started in early 2020, which has pushed parents to prioritize survival over children’s education, especially fees in private schools. How to prevent further dropouts in India To prevent further dropouts and ensure that each child, especially from vulnerable groups, girls, tribal children, children from minority or migrating groups, etc., receives quality education as per India’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals, here are a few recommendations: State and non-state actors should work together to identify children from the special vulnerable groups through rigorous monitoring, locating them, and ensuring that they are back in schools. Sensitize parents and teachers on the learning requirements of children and social and emotional learning through special modules to support children’s holistic education Make public education system more robust by: Increasing financial allocation for the public education sector Assessing local needs of schools and children and accordingly provide funds Allocating additional funds to implement standard COVID-19 procedures like physical distancing, WASH facilities, health screening etc. and additional human resources for regular sanitization and hygiene in school according to local needs Renewing priority to make schools RTE-compliant Setting up health screening and medical facilities at the school and Panchayat level Recruiting adequate teachers to conduct classes with adequate physical distancing Ensuring extra classes and special training for children who have learning gaps Lastly, provide teachers adequate training to adapt to the ‘new normal’ Overall, it is our collective responsibility to ensure all children receive a quality education as a society.