Teachers’ Perspective on Girls’ Dropout from Schools and Actions to Support their Education in India: A Multi-centric Qualitative Study

Introduction: Access of girls to secondary education is poor, with a 16% dropout rate in India. The perspectives of teachers might help us understand the reasons for the same. Hence, we conducted a study to find out the perceptions of teachers regarding girls’ dropping out of schools and the need for actions that can help in this regard. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study across 11 districts in five states. The questionnaire had seven questions, out of which six were open-ended and one was close-ended, besides the questions on age, gender, and location. We performed content analysis. Purposive sampling was used to include 122 teachers in the intervention. The study was conducted between February and March 2021. Results: There were 30 (24.6%) female and 92 (75.4%) male respondents. The survey revealed multiple factors at individual, family, school, and community levels, such as disinterested girls, poverty, negative parents’ attitude, lack of infrastructure facilities in schools, and early marriage, etc. responsible for dropouts. Mothers’ engagement was perceived as crucial in supporting girls’ education. Conclusion: A comprehensive, multi-level intervention with students, teachers, parents, and communities is required to help girls complete secondary education. How to cite this article:Sharma S, Chakravarty RT, Singh PSK, Mehra S. Teachers’ Perspective on Girls’ Dropout from Schools and Actions to Support their Education in India: A Multi-centric Qualitative Study. Ind J Youth Adol Health. 2023;10(2):14-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.202307