The Ministry of Education informed the Lok Sabha that 15.5% of the 1.8 crore Class 10 students who appeared for the board exams the previous year have been declared unsuccessful. Odisha recorded the highest dropout rate with 49.9% of students discontinuing their studies.

According to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) of the Ministry of Education compiles Class 10 board examination results. In the Class 10 board exam results for 2022-23, “1,89,90,809 students appeared for the class tenth examination, of which 1,60,34,671 students were declared passed, and 29,56,138 students failed to progress to Class 11.”

In 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of exams by most boards, resulting in students being promoted using alternative assessment criteria.

A notable 3,98,039 students from the Board of Secondary Education Madhya Pradesh did not pass their exams last year. Additionally, the ministry released data on the failure and dropout rates over the past four years.

Responding to Lok Sabha member Kalanidhi Veeraswamy’s inquiry about the reasons for the lack of student educational progress despite the government’s efforts under the New Education Policy (NEP), the minister stated that “factors such as not attending schools, difficulty in following instructions in schools, lack of interest in studies, the level of difficulty of question paper, lack of quality teachers, lack of support from parents, teachers, and schools” are reasons.

In the fiscal year 2022-23, an allocated sum of Rs 44,49,394.26 lakh was designated for school education. The minister emphasized the implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, in line with NEP 2020, to guarantee equitable and inclusive access to quality education for all children.

Financial aid is also provided to states and Union Territories to enhance enrollment in public schools, bolster school facilities, operate Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) up to Class 12, and establish residential schools and other initiatives. States and UTs now have the option to choose from 88 job roles in 22 sectors based on the skill gap analysis of the respective state and UT.