Hyderabad: The Socio-Economic Outlook 2024 reveals that, while the national average for children aged 14–18 not enrolled in school or college stands at 13.2 percent, Telangana reports a staggering 22.1 percent.
The report further states that more boys (26%) than girls (17.4%) in the state are out of educational institutions. The situation worsens for 17–18-year-olds, with 40.1% not enrolled in any educational institution.
Among these older teenagers, 68.7% work more than 15 days a month. Despite being out of school, 89.2% of 17- to 18-year-olds are proficient in using digital technology, excelling in searching for videos and sharing content online, according to the annual status of Education Report (rural) for 2022.
A survey by the School Education Department found that 16,683 children, including 11,405 at the elementary level and 5,278 at the secondary level, are out of school. Children aged 6–14 are considered out of school if they did not complete elementary education or have been absent for more than a month.
The government is implementing several initiatives to address these gaps and improve enrollment rates.
