Secondary school dropouts in Nagaland reach 16.81%

March 25, 2025 1 View No Comment

State’s Economic Survey 2024-25 identifies key factors

Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 25

The dropout rate in government schools in Nagaland during 2023-24 stood at 5.92 percent at the primary level, 5.90 percent at the upper primary level, and a significantly higher 16.81 percent at the secondary level, according to the Nagaland Economic Survey 2024-25.

The report, released by the Department of Economics & Statistics, was tabled at the recently concluded 6th session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly.

At the primary level, Mon district recorded the highest dropout rate at 10.03 percent, followed closely by Zunheboto at 10.02 percent.

At the upper primary level, Zunheboto again had the highest dropout rate at 13.61percent.

The secondary level saw the most concerning trend, with Tuensang recording the highest dropout rate at 27.84 percent.

The survey report attributed dropouts at the primary and upper primary levels to several factors, including lack of interest in studies, academic difficulties, and socio-economic responsibilities, such as children staying home to take care of siblings while their parents go to work.

For the high dropout rate at the secondary level, the report pointed to poor learning outcomes at the elementary level, which often lead to difficulty in comprehending higher-level studies.

The dropout rate is the percentage of students who leave school in a given academic year before completing a grade or level.
Meanwhile, the highest retention rate or the percentage of students who continue to the next grade or level in the following academic year, was recorded at the upper primary level, standing at 86.88 percent during 2023-24.

However, retention at the secondary level was the lowest, at 41.61 percent, reflecting a significant challenge in keeping students in school. Across all school levels, government schools in Kohima district recorded the highest retention rates.

Citing, UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education), the survey informed that Nagaland had a total of 1,930 government schools in 2023-24, comprising 1,026 Government Primary Schools, 606 Government Middle Schools, 246 Government High Schools, and 52 Government Higher Secondary Schools.

Total student enrolment in government schools stood at 1,36,159, with 27,497 students at the pre-primary level, 55,221 at the primary level, 28,166 at the upper primary level, 15,074 at the secondary level, and 10,201 at the higher secondary level.