Fall in school dropout rate among backward classes

School dropout rates among the Scheduled Castes andthe Scheduled Tribes (SCs/STs) have come down since the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Human Resource and Development Minister Pallam Raju said Wednesday.

Addressing the national monitoring committee for education of the SCs, STs and differently-abled people, Raju said that under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the enrollment of the SC children increased substantially.

"There was also a significant drop in the number of out-of-school SC children from 8.2 percent in 2005 to 5.9 percent in 2009. Similarly, there was a reduction in the percentage of out-of-school ST children from 9.5 percent in 2005 to 5.2 percent in 2009," he said.

In higher education, the government provides 15 percent and 7.5 percent reservation to the SC and ST students respectively.

"To ensure benefits of various schemes of the central government reaches directly to SC/ST students, the ministry has earmarked Rs.12,000 crore," Raju said.