10% of Bihar schools have an overall attendance of less than 50%.
There are 75,309 government schools in Bihar and the state has seen a rise in the number of students. But the worrying part is the drop in student attendance.
It has been reported that schools in Bihar are experiencing very low attendance and students are mostly absent from classes. The education department of Bihar has expressed concern about this issue and it has been reported that the department will take strict measures to deal with this situation.
As the reports show, the department plans to exclude students who take 15 consecutive days of leave without notice or just cause.
There are a total of 75,309 government schools in Bihar and the state has seen a rise in the number of students. But the worrying part is the drop in student attendance. There are still about 10 percent of schools in the state with an overall attendance of less than 50 percent.
The Education Department’s Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) recently issued a message to all district magistrates, instructing them to keep an eye on students who study in private schools but benefit from government schools’ Direct Benefit Transfer schemes. He pointed out that there may be students who, despite studying in private schools, books, school dresses and other benefits could benefit from being admitted to government schools. The ACS also said it has received complaints about the same situation where students take unfair advantage of these schemes. At the same time, it has also been reported that some students do not even live in Bihar but live in other states, mainly in Kota, Rajasthan.
All officials have been asked by the department to select five schools in their respective areas. They have been instructed to talk to the parents of such students who are regularly absent and ask them to improve the attendance of the students. It is strictly enjoined that students who are absent continuously for 15 consecutive days without prior notice or valid reason must be immediately expelled from the school. The authorities have been told to check that the students only study at one school. It should be ensured that no pupil studies in two schools at the same time.