School dropout remains a significant challenge in India, particularly at the secondary level, where socio-economic, cultural, and infrastructural factors influence student retention. With the launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, there is renewed emphasis on enhancing both physical and digital infrastructure to improve learning outcomes and reduce dropout rates. This study investigates the impact of school infrastructure and digital facilities on secondary school dropout rates, focusing on eight key variables: percentage of schools with computers, libraries, internet access, electricity, drinking water, girls’ toilets, and pupil–teacher ratio (PTR). The dependent variable is the secondary school dropout rate, measured at the state level across 5 Indian states using data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019–20. The study employed IBM SPSS Statistics for data analysis, including reliability testing (Cronbach’s α = 0.652) and multiple linear regression. Descriptive statistics indicated substantial variation in digital access (computers and internet), while basic amenities like drinking water, girls’ toilets, and libraries were widely available. Correlation analysis revealed significant negative associations between dropout rates and library availability (r = −0.546), computers (r = −0.471), internet access (r = −0.453), and drinking water (r = −0.416). The regression model was statistically significant (F(7,27) = 2.824, p = 0.024) with R² = 0.423, suggesting that school infrastructure and digital facilities explain approximately 42% of the variation in dropout rates. Library availability emerged as a significant negative predictor (B = −0.726, p = 0.036), while girls’ toilets approached significance (B = −0.487, p = 0.090). Other variables were not significant, likely due to multicollinearity among digital access indicators. The findings underscore the critical role of learning resources and gender-sensitive infrastructure in reducing dropout rates and highlight the need for holistic investment strategies under NEP 2020. Policy implications include prioritizing library expansion, gender-sensitive sanitation, and strategic integration of digital facilities to enhance retention and learning outcomes. Future research should incorporate longitudinal data and socio-economic variables to better understand the multifactorial determinants of school dropout.
Rout et al. (Fri,) studied this question.