State PCS - Jharkhand (JPSC)

• 15 May 2026

Jharkhand Achieves Zero Primary Dropout Rate

Why in News?  

Jharkhand has effectively eliminated the primary school dropout rate, while also recording a significant decline in secondary school dropout rates, according to the NITI Aayog report titled “School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement.”  

Key Points  

• Achievement: Jharkhand recorded a 0% dropout rate at the primary level in 2024–25, marking a major achievement in school education and student retention.  
  • The state’s secondary school dropout rate declined sharply from 23.2% in 2014–15 to 3.5% in 2024–25, placing Jharkhand among the top-performing states in reducing school dropouts.  
• Upper Primary Education: The upper primary dropout rate also reduced substantially from 7.42% to 1.7% during the same period.  
• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER):  
  • The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the primary level declined from 109.2% to 92.5% between 2014-15 and 2024-25. 
  • At the secondary level, GER increased from 66.05% to 72% during the same period. 
• Teaching Vacancies: Despite improvements in student retention, the state continues to face a major shortage of teachers, with nearly 99,565 teaching vacancies reported in 2025–26.  
• Single-Teacher Schools: Jharkhand still has over 9,000 single-teacher schools, highlighting ongoing infrastructure and staffing challenges in the education sector.  

Read More: NITI Aayog