After absence, 2.73L Delhi govt school students did not return

According to data from the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), over 2.73 lakh children enrolled in Delhi government schools during the last academic year did not return after a period of absence.

- AIMAN FATIMA

This alarming statistic reveals a gender disparity, with more girls than boys failing to come back to school.

The DCPCR’s early warning system, designed to flag absenteeism, identified that 6,67,732 students were absent for seven consecutive days or 20 out of 30 working days from April 2023 to February 22, 2024.

This figure represents around 39 per cent of the total enrolment of 17.03 lakh students across 1,070 Delhi government schools. Interestingly, more boys (3,48,193) were reported absent than girls (3,19,539).

In response, the DCPCR intervened in about 75 per cent of the detected cases, reaching out to parents or guardians through SMS, phone calls, and interactive voice response calls.