Odisha govt finds that 30% students failed to return to schools post pandemic

Odisha government has found that 30% of students did not return to school after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Odisha government has directed district collectors to work towards bringing students back to school as it found out that almost 30 % of students did not return to school after classroom teaching resumed after a gap of two years. School and Mass Education Department Secretary BP Sethi wrote to districts in a letter that about 70% of students are attending classes as per the analysis of the daily attendance data of the schools that were made available by the District Education Officers(DEOs).

The school and mass education department secretary further said, on detailed analysis, it was found that the attendance from Class 1 to Class 5 in districts like Malkanagiri, Boudh, Gajapati, Sambalpur, and Nuapada was less than the state average.

Similarly, attendance in Classes 6 to 8 at Malkanagiri, Boudh, Sambalpur, and Nuapada is poor too.

The secretary further added that Gajapati, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sonepur, Nuapada, Cuttack, Khordha, Koraput, Ganjam, Boudh, Malkangiri, Keonjhar, and Sambalpur had lower secondary school attendance than the state average.

He further remarked that the total attendance in higher secondary classes is abysmally alone in Gajapati, Sonepur, Baragarh, Kandhamal, and Nuapada, while adding that it is a matter of concern.

School and Mass Education Department Secretary BP Sethi went on to say, "The above figures lead us to believe that thorough analysis has to be made to know the whereabouts of the absentee students.”

“It may so happen, these students who are not attending the offline classes might have dropped out/ moved out along with their parents/ lost interest in academic activities due to non-continuance of the teaching schedule due to the pandemic situation and many other reasons, which need analysis," he told further.