Gujarat has recorded a dramatic fall in school dropout rates over the past two decades, with the state government attributing the turnaround to two flagship annual campaigns — Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani Mahotsav. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel made the announcement on 30 June during the three-day education festival held across the state to boost student enrolment and raise awareness about schooling.

How the Campaign Began

Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani Mahotsav are annual, three-day school enrolment and mass education drives in Gujarat, originally launched in 2003 by then Chief Minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The campaigns were designed to achieve 100 per cent student enrolment and bring down dropout rates, with a particular emphasis on girls' education. Over 24 years, the initiative has evolved from a government programme into what officials describe as a community-wide movement.

Key Achievements Cited

Speaking at the inauguration of the festival at the historic B.N. High School in Vadnagar, Chief Minister Patel said the campaigns had delivered on two fronts. 'Thanks to the Kanya Kelavani and Shala Praveshotsav initiative, we have benefited in two ways regarding the dropout issue — firstly, we have achieved 100 per cent student enrolment, and secondly, the post-enrolment dropout rate has fallen to less than one per cent. This is a tremendous success for this initiative launched by our Prime Minister,' he stated.

This year, the campaign set a target to enrol over 28.58 lakh children across 38,400 government schools in the state, covering admissions into Balvatika, Class 1, Class 9, and Class 11. Grand events were organised across every district and taluka of Gujarat as part of the drive.

On the Ground: Students and Parents Respond

Newly enrolled students expressed visible excitement. Jiya Parmar, a student from Ahmedabad, said, 'We receive books and uniforms from our school. Today, the Shala Praveshotsav was held at our school; this event is wonderful for us, and we get to learn so much.' Sonakshi, a student from Vadodara, added, 'I really love the first day of school. It is special because we get new books, shoes, and socks, and we also get a chance to talk to our teacher after the holidays.'

Parents echoed the sentiment. Narendrabhai Barot, a parent from Vadodara, said the campaigns encourage children to study and succeed, 'enabling them to lead a fulfilling life in the future.' Ashish Prajapati, a parent from Ahmedabad, noted that children receive books, art supplies, school bags, and water bottles, and that education is now integrated with technology from the point of enrolment.

Administration's Role in Enrolment Push

Rohit Chaudhary, District Education Officer of Ahmedabad, said officials are visiting homes to ensure no child is left out at key academic transitions — from Balvatika to Class 1, Class 5 to 6, Class 8 to 9, and Class 10 to 11. 'The primary objective is to ensure that no child is deprived of education, and this has evolved into a mass movement involving the entire community,' he said.

With dropout rates reportedly below one per cent and a 28.58 lakh enrolment target set for this cycle, Gujarat's education administration will be closely watched to see whether the gains hold at the secondary level, where dropout pressures — particularly for girls — have historically been most acute.