Request reports on school dropouts and the effects of COVID from the Bengal government in Calcutta.

The Bengal Commissioner of Schools was also ordered by the court’s interim chief judge, TS Sivagnanam, and justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya to take action to educate parents of dropouts.The West Bengal government has been requested by the Calcutta high court to request district reports on the number of pupils enrolled in schools before to and during the Covid pandemic and to take action to re-enroll students who dropped out.

The Bengal Commissioner of Schools was ordered by the bench of acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya to take action to educate parents of dropout children in their order from April 11.
In response to a petition from attorney Sayan Banerjee regarding students leaving government schools during the Covid pandemic, the bench ruled that “necessary steps can be taken to sensitise the parents of those children (who have dropped out) regarding the need for education and steps have to be taken to provide clean surroundings, good drinking water, mid-day meal, etc. to bring the drop-out students back to school.”

Government statistics show that in 2022, West Bengal was one of the twelve or so states with a secondary school dropout rate that was greater than the 14.6% national average. The other states were Tripura, Bihar, and Gujarat.