Eco Survey flags need for skill courses to curb dropouts in classes 9-12

The Economic Survey 2025 calls for skill-embedded education in classes 8-12 to tackle high dropout rates driven by income pressure and limited access to secondary schools

India needs to introduce skill-embedded education for students at the secondary level to counter high dropout rates in classes 9 to 12, according to the Economic Survey 2025.

 

The survey stated that India’s net enrolment ratio (NER) at the secondary level stood at just 52.2 per cent, meaning that at least half of eligible students are dropping out rather than continuing their education in higher grades. Most out-of-school children in India are aged between 14 and 18, with nearly 20 million adolescents in this age group not going to school, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24.

 

 

To counter this, the survey suggested policy interventions to upgrade schools up to Class 12 and strengthen open schooling are vital for improving retention and optimising resources. It added that composite schools could also be established to ensure smooth transitions from pre-primary to higher secondary education. “Vocational education integration from grades 6 to 12 may include practical exposure and industry visits to enhance career awareness,” the survey stated.

 

The single largest reason for adolescent dropout is the need to supplement household income, accounting for 44 per cent of dropouts. The number is especially high among boys at 67.32 per cent.

 

“For girls, domestic and care responsibilities remain a major constraint, affecting over 55 per cent of those who leave school,” the survey added. The survey argued that high dropout rates, driven by economic pressures, make integrating school-based vocational and skills education an urgent priority.

 

“Embedding structured skilling pathways in secondary schools can make education more relevant, provide early exposure to employable competencies, and transform schools into hubs of lifelong learning,” it said.

 

The PLFS 2023–24 highlights the limited coverage of training, with only 0.97 per cent of 14- to 18-year-olds having received institutional skilling, while nearly 92 per cent have none.

 

Highlighting that addressing this gap would be crucial for leveraging India’s demographic dividend, the survey stated that skill education in schools would equip young people with market-aligned skills, particularly in the service sector, which absorbs over half of the formally trained youth.

 

“Strengthening the alignment between school education and national skilling priorities is therefore essential for reducing the share of out-of-school children and building a productive workforce,” it said.

 

The survey also highlighted the uneven distribution of schools as a key reason for lower enrolments in classes 9 to 12, with 54 per cent of schools offering only foundational-preparatory education, while just 17.1 per cent provide secondary education in rural areas. There is also a geographic skew, with urban areas having a higher share of secondary schools at 38.1 per cent.

 

“This disparity limits rural students’ access to higher-level classes, resulting in transition losses, increased travel time, and higher dropout rates,” the document said.