Tripura has recorded a zero per cent dropout rate at the primary level for 2025-26, Chief Minister Manik Saha said at the International Literacy Day and ULLAS Mela in New Delhi. The figure, based on UDISE+ data cited by the Chief Minister, covers Classes I to V.
The state had recorded a 2.21% primary-level dropout rate in 2013-14. Saha attributed the improvement to sustained efforts to strengthen foundational literacy across primary schools.
The dropout rate for Classes IX and X fell from 25.51% in 2013-14 to 10.40% in 2025-26, according to figures cited by the Chief Minister. The state government has set a target of bringing this down further over the next three to four years and improving transition rates across the school system.
Focus shifts to low-enrolment schools
Saha said the government plans to establish state-of-the-art residential schools modelled on Eklavya Model Schools, particularly to address low enrolment in government schools in remote and rural areas. Schools with very low enrolment may be merged or clubbed as part of the plan.
The state has also approved the establishment of a Board of Open Schooling and Examination in Tripura, in line with the National Education Policy 2020, according to the Chief Minister. District magistrates and collectors have been given responsibility for focusing on the quality of education in remote and rural areas.
Tripura's latest dropout figures follow an earlier literacy milestone. In June 2025, the Ministry of Education said the state had achieved full functional literacy under ULLAS, with a literacy rate of 95.6%.
Rajasthan Governor calls for universities to go beyond textbooks
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde has called on universities to move beyond textbook-based education and focus on developing students' awareness, intellectual ability and wisdom.
Speaking at the eighth convocation of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University in Jaipur on September 7, Bagde said education should be connected to students' lives and should help them develop the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
He also called for Sanskrit to be used more widely, noting its long tradition of being transmitted through oral recitation. Bagde linked the language to India's broader knowledge traditions and highlighted the historical contribution of Indian scholarship to science and technology.
In June, he argued that education should not be limited to degrees and should include practical knowledge that develops intellectual capacity. In May, he described the National Education Policy as a vehicle for Indian culture and traditional knowledge, while asking teachers to expose students to new research and technical knowledge beyond textbooks.