Uttar Pradesh to follow Netherlands model to check school dropouts

Uttar Pradesh will now adopt the early warning system (EWS), a mechanism to alert schools about children who are at the risk of discontinuing studies.

The 15-member team led by Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh that visited The Netherlands last month to study their innovative approaches to check school dropouts, will soon submit its reports to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In Uttar Pradesh, the school dropout rate at elementary level is 2.75 per cent which is nearly the same as the national average of 2.96 per cent. Special efforts are made to ensure that children acquire the skills to fit into the job market. The team also learned about system of leave approval.

According to a UNICEF member, "The Netherlands has the system of excused and unexcused leaves. Children are supposed to take leaves from schools and schools only grant leaves as per government-authorised excused leaves." Unexcused leaves are considered as absence from schools. Schools are penalised if excused leaves are granted for reasons not authorised by the state. For excused leaves, schools must inform authorities.