Jaipur: Boys in Rajasthan are dropping out after class 9 at a higher rate than girls for the third straight year, with the state’s overall dropout rate also above the national average across primary, upper primary and secondary levels, according to the latest UDISE+ 2025-26 report.The report shows Rajasthan trailing the national average in all three school sections. The dropout rate for classes 3-5 is 3.6 against the national average of 1.8. For classes 6 -8, the state’s dropout rate is 4.6 compared to the national average of 3.6. In classes 9-12, the state’s rate is 7.5, higher than the national average of 7.The gender split shows a sharper concern at the secondary level. In 2025-26, the dropout rate after class 9 was 8.4 among boys in Rajasthan, compared to 6.5 among girls. In 2024-25, the corresponding figures were 6 for boys and 5.2 for girls. In 2023-24, in the class 9-12 category, the dropout rate was 10.6 for boys and 8.0 for girls.Education experts said stagnant learning levels, weak job prospects and pressure to earn are pushing more boys out of school.“Learning levels in the state have not improved much in the past two to three years, which makes parents feel that engaging boys to earn for the family is a better utilisation of resources. Parents see that the child’s result is not improving despite regularly going to school, so they prefer to put the boy in the job market, even if the earnings are meagre,” said school education expert KB Kothari.Damodar Goyal, president of the Society for Private Unaided Schools, Rajasthan, said the higher dropout rate could be linked to declining interest in education and fading hope that schooling will lead to stable employment.“Girls continue education as household work is the only option for them, but boys start earning because they are losing hope that completing their studies will help them get employment in the future. The high unemployment and lack of opportunities are pushing young boys to start earning early, and this pattern goes for both govt and private schools,” said Goyal.The UDISE+ report also highlights gaps in school staffing. Rajasthan has 1.78 lakh students enrolled in 7,200 schools with only one teacher. The report also records 140 schools with zero enrolment, where 189 teachers are posted.The number of single-teacher schools rose by 1,083 in a year, from 6,117 in UDISE+ 2024-25 to 7,200 in 2025-26. Student enrolment in such schools increased by 6,460, from 1,72,071 in 2024-25 to 1.78 lakh in 2025-26.
