Despite comparable per capita income levels and sizable Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations, Odisha and Chhattisgarh show stark disparities in educational outcomes for tribal children at the secondary and higher secondary levels. While Chhattisgarh reports a high enrolment rate of ST students in Classes XI–XII (68.11 per cent) and a low secondary-level dropout rate (12.79 per cent), Odisha lags significantly behind. This paper aims to identify the institutional and structural factors explaining Chhattisgarh’s relatively better performance in tribal education vis-à-vis Odisha. The study uses secondary data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). Descriptive statistical methods are employed to analyse enrolment, dropout, and transition patterns of ST students across the two states. 84 per cent of tribal students in Chhattisgarh successfully transitioning from Class X to Class XI, compared to only 40 per cent in Odisha. In Chhattisgarh, higher secondary education is typically offered within the same schools where students complete matriculation, ensuring continuity. In contrast, Odisha provides secondary and higher secondary education through separate institutions, often located far from tribal habitations, which discourages continuation. Higher pupil–teacher ratios, lower representation of ST teachers, institutional fragmentation, and weaker infrastructure—particularly at the higher secondary level—further constrain access in Odisha. The study contributes to the literature on tribal education by highlighting how institutional design and school availability shape educational transitions. It offers policy-relevant insights particularly in the context of achieving SDG 4.
Kujur et al. (Sun,) studied this question.