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6.4.3 Dropout
@) Maanitude and ~attern
Details about the magnitude of dropout for ch~ldren behveen 520 years of age were
obtained while taklng census and also fmm the village school for the year 19951996.
Analysis of the data collected at the time of census showed that in children between 5-
20 years of age. 20.9% of girls and 16.6% of boys were school dmpouts. There was no
s~gnificant difference ~n the dropout rate between glris and boys (p > 0 05)
in the vlllage school, dunng the academic year 19951996, 89 chlldren out of a total of
1 881 (4 7%) dropped out The dropout rate ~n girls was 3 7% and in boys 5 4% The
d~fference agaln was not stattstccally s~gn~flcant (p > 0 05)
The pattern of dropout w~th respect to school level In g~ris and boys as obtalned dunng
the census IS shown In F~gures 6.7 and 6 8 It is seen that for both glrls and boys.
most of the dropout occurred in the pnmary school level Analyzing the dass wise
dropout rate for the year 1995-1996 ~n the wllage school as shown in Flgure 6.9, it was
seen that the dropout occurred at an earl~er age for g~rls than for boys While the
dropout for boys occurred mostly in the m~ddle and h~gh school level. ~t was found
mostly ~n the prlrnary and the middle level of school for girls
lb) Causes
(i) Ethnographic methods
In group dtscuss~ons and dunng in-depth fntewews. ~t was felt that poor performance
and poverty were the important causes of dropout in boys and glrls. In add~tlon, girls
Were often requtred to look after younger chlldren at home Some of the participants felt