Bhubaneswar, Feb. 21 -- Odisha has witnessed a concerning rise in its school dropout rate, which has surged to 15% in the 2024-25 academic year, as per data tabled in the Assembly by the School and Mass Education Minister. This marks a sharp increase after four consecutive years of decline between 2020 and 2024.

The spike in the dropout rate is most prominent among students in Classes IX and X, where the rate is significantly higher than in lower grades. In Classes IX and X, 17.3% of boys and 12.5% of girls have reportedly dropped out of school. In comparison, the dropout rate is 3.2% for Classes VI to VIII and just 0.7% for Classes I to V.

Academic pressure and economic stress are considered the two key factors contributing to this ala...