Chennai: New national education data has revealed a startling reversal in Tamil Nadu’s educational progress, showing a significant increase in the school dropout rate across all levels. According to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for the academic year 2024-25, the state’s dropout rate, once among the lowest in the country, has seen a dramatic rise, causing concern among educationists and activists.

The data, released by the Union Education Ministry, indicates that the dropout rate in primary schools (classes 1-5) has jumped to 2.7%, and in middle schools (classes 6-8) to 2.8%. Most strikingly, the high school (classes 9-10) dropout rate has soared to 8.5%, a sharp increase from nearly 0% recorded in 2020-21. The Tamil Nadu School Education Depa

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