Sharp increase in dropout rates of SC/ST students

At a time when the government is harping on affirmative action, the Comptroller and Auditor General has reported a steep decline in enrolments and a sharp increase in dropout rates of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in schools.

The CAG report, tabled in Parliament today, has blamed poorly managed affirmative action on the part of the government for the poor progress made in getting more SC/ST students enrolled in schools.

The report, titled 'Performance audit of educational development of SC/ST for the year ended March 2006', cites gross imbalances in allocation of central funds to states for education of students from these sections.

It also cites instances of fund underutilisation to explain a decline in the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) among the SC/ST students in the country.

The GER is the percentage of the estimated child population in the 6-14 age group enrolled in classes I to VIII. The GER of SC students in 2002-03 and 2003-04 decreased in 19 and 18 states, respectively. The decrease ranged from 0.35 to 21.64 per cent and 0.01 to 37.32 per cent, respectively.

Similarly, GER of ST students decreased in 2002-03 and 2003-04 in 18 and 17 states. The decrease ranged from 1.98 to 38.46 per cent and 0.97 and 30.72 per cent, respectively.

The report says that the Gross Dropout Rate has increased in most states. The GDR represents the percentage of students who drop out from a given grade in a given year. The GDR gap between general candidates and SC was 6.7 per cent in 2001-2002 . It increased to 10.4 per cent in 2003-2004.

The gap between general candidates and STs, which was 15.1 per cent in 2001-02, was 16.6 per cent in 2003-04, the report observed.

The irregularity in the funding of the schemes has been criticised by CAG. It says that three states "" Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra "" managed to get 67 per cent of the Rs 50.46 crore pre-matric scholarship for SC/ST students.

Again, just one state "" Andhra Pradesh "" pocketed 25 per cent of the funds provided for coaching and allied schemes for STs though the state has just 5.6 per cent ST population.

The audit for the years 2001 to 2006 covered 12 programmes under the Ministries of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) meant for the educational development of SC and STs.