Chandigarh, March 5 The dropout rate at the elementary and senior secondary school levels in Nuh district of Haryana is higher than the state average, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said on Thursday.
Responding to a question from Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed of Nuh during Question Hour, Dhanda said the dropout rate at the elementary level in the district has increased between 2023-24 and 2025-26.
However, at the senior secondary level, the rate declined during this period, although it remained higher than the state average, he said.
According to data shared in the House, the dropout rate at the elementary level (Classes 6-8) in Nuh increased from 8.61 per cent against the state average of 4.87 per cent in 2023-24 to 12.52 per cent against the state average of 1.70 per cent in 2024-25.
In 2025-26, it further rose to 12.84 per cent compared to the state average of 3.05 per cent, Dhanda said.
At the senior secondary level (Class 11), the dropout rate in Nuh was 7.88 per cent against the state average of 4.51 per cent in 2023-24.
It increased to 8.69 per cent against the state average of 1.26 per cent in 2024-25, but declined to 4.76 per cent in 2025-26 against the state average of 2.47 per cent, he said.
Ahmed raised the issue, saying the higher dropout rate in Nuh was a matter of concern, and pointed to a large number of teacher vacancies in the district, which he said affected students' studies and results.
The minister said there was no decline in enrolment between Classes 5 and 6, and enrolment in Class 5 rose by 16.52 per cent from 2024-25 to 2025-26.
Similarly, enrolment in Class 12 increased by 33.07 per cent, he said.
Dhanda said the government has taken several steps to increase enrolment in government schools and prevent dropouts.
These include identifying out-of-school students through the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP), tracking students of Classes 1 to 12 on the MIS portal, contacting parents of dropout students, and encouraging them to re-enrol their children.
Enrollment drives under "Parvesh Utsav" are also conducted, during which teachers go door-to-door to motivate parents to send their children to school, he added.
On the Congress MLA's question about vacancies in government schools in Nuh, the House was informed that out of the 10,053 rationalised or sanctioned posts, 5,249 have been filled, while 4,804 remain vacant.
Steps are being taken to fill the vacant posts, the minister said.