Gandhinagar, June 23 -- In a remarkable turnaround, Gujarat has achieved a drastic reduction in the school dropout rate among primary education students. From a concerning 37.22% dropout ratio for students in Classes 1 to 8 in the academic year 2001-02, the state has successfully brought this figure down to just 2.42% for the year 2023-24, a release from the state government said on Monday.

According to the release, this significant improvement can be attributed to various educational initiatives launched by the government, notably the Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra programmes, initiated by then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2002-03, aimed at ensuring that every eligible child can access primary education.

However, t...