Gujarat’s Education Department has successfully stopped over 1.67 lakh children at risk of dropping out from leaving school and reintegrated more than 90,000 former dropouts back into classrooms. The state government’s data revealed these achievements during the launch of the 24th edition of the annual ‘Shala Praveshotsav’ (School Enrolment Drive). This program has significantly contributed to reducing school dropout rates in Gujarat over the last twenty years.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel kicked off the statewide enrolment campaign from B.N. High School in Vadnagar. The initiative, known as ‘Shala Praveshotsav,’ was originally started by the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Its primary goal is to ensure that every eligible child receives primary education and that educational awareness spreads across all regions of the state. The state government aims to minimize school dropout rates to nearly zero across primary, secondary, and higher education levels.
To achieve this objective, the Education Department has implemented an Artificial Intelligence-based Early Warning System (EWS) at the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Gandhinagar. This system identifies students at risk of leaving school before they drop out by analyzing various factors such as student records, attendance patterns, academic performance, and demographic information.
The AI-based platform also considers broader factors related to schools and families, including infrastructure facilities, household economic conditions, parental attitudes towards education, and family demographics. By analyzing these indicators, the system generates alerts that enable authorities to intervene before students drop out. The Education Department reported that factors like regular absenteeism, poor academic performance, health issues, disabilities, and behavioral concerns are associated with a higher likelihood of students dropping out.
