A stark new study for 2025 has exposed a critical gap in India's educational framework, revealing that thousands of girls are being left behind once they cross a specific age threshold. The research, conducted by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB) in collaboration with Outline India, found that 10,474 girls are not attending school across 757 surveyed villages in five states: Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
The State-Wise Crisis: Bihar Tops the List
The data paints a concerning picture of regional disparities. Bihar emerged as the state with the most severe situation, accounting for 5,781 out-of-school girls aged between 6 and 18 years. Rajasthan followed with 1,627 girls, then Assam (1,127), Karnataka (1,051), and Maharashtra (888). While school dropout affects both genders, with recent trends showing more boys leaving, the consequences for girls are particularly severe, undermining their dignity, autonomy, and future health choices.
The report, which triangulated data with the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE), indicates that dropout rates spike at the secondary (grades 9-10) and higher secondary (grades 11-12) levels. This trend points directly to a major flaw in policy: the Right to Education (RTE) Act guarantees free and compulsory education only for children up to age 14. A significant portion of the identified out-of-school children likely exceeds this age limit, after which there is no specific government programme to ensure their education.
Beyond the Law: A Web of Barriers
The reasons girls leave school are complex and interconnected. The survey identified a range of broad obstacles:
- Poor economic conditions forcing children into labour.
- Inadequate school infrastructure and long distances due to school mergers/closures.
- Safety concerns for adolescent girls.
- Deep-rooted cultural norms and stigma.
- Lack of reliable transport.
For girls, the spectre of early marriage remains a primary motivating factor for dropout, especially in states like Bihar, Assam, and Rajasthan where the practice persists. Furthermore, an estimated 32,500 government schools were closed or merged between 2019 and 2025, affecting around 5.3 lakh children and potentially violating RTE norms on school proximity.
Call for Action: Extending RTE and Targeted Programmes
The report's authors, including Pintu Paul, an Assistant Professor at the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, argue for urgent, multifaceted interventions. A cornerstone recommendation is to amend the RTE Act to extend its guarantee of free and compulsory education until age 18 or the completion of higher secondary school. This legal change is deemed essential for promoting girls' education and actively discouraging child marriage.
Additionally, the study stresses the need for sustained collaboration between government and civil society to implement targeted retention programmes and scholarship schemes specifically for girls. Effective execution of the existing RTE Act is also crucial to ensure schooling is genuinely accessible to all children under 14. Without these steps, the report warns, dropping out will continue to limit children's futures, expose them to exploitation, and hinder the nation's economic progress and sustainable development goals.
