By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, July 28, 2017: Authorities in Odisha have expressed serious concern over decline in the student enrollment in primary schools.

A review meeting by school and education minister, Badri Narayan Patra found that around 9,127 children have never stepped into schools, while the number of student dropouts is 33,000 so far in the state.

Patra expressed serious concern over the declining trend in turnout and dropout of students in primary schools despite various programmes including Mid-day Meal, free textbooks and uniforms launched by the state government.

As a special admission programme launched in April to register more admission in the schools did not work out, the department has decided to restart the campaign from August 15 till 31.

The children in the tribal districts — Nuapada, Balangir, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Boudh, Mayurbhanj and Kandhamal in particular are keeping off from the schools.

In many schools, the students are yet to get their free uniforms even one month after their classes after summer vacation. The uniforms have been sent to only eight districts. Only 40 percent students have been provided the dresses in some districts so far.

Sources in the department said that free text books have been distributed to all the schools by third week of July. In a bid to avoid any possible difficulty to occur in distribution of text books within scheduled time in academic session 2018-19, the department is aiming to print all the books by December 2017, said Primary Education Director Chudamani Seth.