Delhi Education Department task force active to reduce number of school dropouts

The Delhi Education Department has set a deadline of 15 November for its task force to submit suggestions to reduce the number of school dropouts, improve educational outcomes, and prevent the impact of low attendance on the Mid-Day Meal scheme. According to a report by Hindustan Times, this process will be carried out in schools performing poorly under the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0.

According to the minutes of a meeting held on 9 September, the committee has decided that the Delhi State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will identify 10 schools from each district facing such issues. Subsequently, an in-depth study will be conducted to investigate the root causes of these problems. The Education Department had constituted a 26-member panel under Samagra Shiksha on 17 August, which will conduct a comprehensive examination of dropout rates, learning outcomes, and the impacts of low attendance.

Based on the analysis conducted by SCERT, the task force will provide suggestions for practical and feasible interventions at the school, district, and headquarters levels to improve attendance, reduce dropouts, and increase student engagement in schools. These suggestions will be submitted by 15 November, 2026. The committee has also decided that data-driven studies should be conducted on the impact of seasonal migration, family movement, pollution-related restrictions, and other external factors.

The committee's minutes further stated that the duration of absence, timing of absence, return patterns, affected schools, areas, and factors affecting children's return to school or continuous absence will be analysed. The aim of this analysis is to develop field-specific responses by 30 November, 2026. The committee also emphasised the need to establish task forces at the school level in the identified schools.

The teacher-student ratio will be examined as a key factor. The assessment of teacher availability will include sanctioned strength, actual number of available teachers, vacancies, distribution of regular, guest, and contract-based teachers, their appointment in non-academic duties, and the overall student-teacher ratio. In addition to teacher-related issues, the committee has decided to focus on retaining students in school and increasing enrolment by involving parents through the 'Star Parent' initiative.