A STUDY OF CAUSES OF DROPOUT AND FAILURE AT ELEMENTARY STAGE IN RURAL AREAS OF TEHSIL HIRANAGAR OF DISTRICT KATHUA IN J&K STATE

Education works as a lever in raising financial and social status of the individuals. Education is that which makes human being a social one. So, it must be given from the first day of life informally. Formal education begins at elementary stage, so elementary education is called fundamental education Elementary education means the first few years of education of an individual when he/she goes to school. Primary is usually used for first five years of schooling. It is called primary education because it is of primary of first importance to a person and secondly, it is a first step towards his total education in life. Thus, in simple words, the elementary education means eight years of schooling dividing the stages into two sub-stages, five years of primary school stage and three years of middle school stage. The Indian constitution under article 45 also provides for eight years of elementary education in the age-group of 6-14. Elementary education is the level of education, which needs to be provided to all individuals. It lays down the foundation stone for further attainment like social, moral, physical, intellectual etc. That is why in all the democratic countries of the world, elementary education has been compulsory, universal and free. The main aim of elementary education is to give children education of citizenship to fulfill their basic needs, start socialization process train children for reading and playing in group, to develop social attitude, to develop in them healthy attitudes or habits. Other aims are literacy, attainment of numeracy, technocracy and to develop a respect for national symbols like the flag and the anthem and for the democratic processes and institutions of the country. It develops in the child healthy attitudes towards human labour and its dignity, to develop habits of cleanliness and healthful living. It enables the child to express himself freely and develop the habit of self-learning. In the present study researcher focuses on these objectives; i.e. to find out the extent of failure and dropout in rural areas ,the difference in the rate of failure and dropout between boys and girls, the difference in the rate of wastage and stagnation between the upper castes and the lower castes, the problem of dropout of the children, the extent of failure and dropout among different religious groups and to list some of the important causes of failure and dropout at the elementary school stage in the rural villages of HiranagarTehsil of District Kathua J&K. Author selected the sample that consists of 100 parents of dropout and failure children. For the present study ‘A causes of dropout and failure at elementary stage’. The investigator used an interview self prepared schedule.