Odisha government to provide guidance and skill training for out-of-school children

The state government of Odisha has resolved to offer guidance to out-of-school children and motivate them to undertake skill training, in response to news of an increase in students quitting Class X exams. "We are initiating counselling sessions for the out-of-school children and initially the focus will be on those in the age group of 17 years and above," said an official from the School and Mass Education (SME) department. According to the official, the Skill Development and Technical Education department will provide support for the initiative. This action is significant given the reports of high numbers of school dropouts in various regions of the state, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

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Reports show that this year, thousands of students have opted out of the Class X Summative Assessment (SA). During the previous year, approximately 14,000 students did not attend the SA-I held by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), and it's been reported that many are currently skipping the SA-II, which is the final Class X exam. The authorities in charge of the subject matter experts (SME) have stated that the number of absentees is expected to be much lower than the number of students who skipped the Class X exams in 2022. According to a department official, last year, that number was approximately 43,000, as reported by The New Indian Express.