Determinants of School Life Expectancy among Indian Children: Insights from the National Sample Survey

Dr. Anita Pal, The INCLEN Trust International
Madhusudan J.V., Central University of Hyderabad

While various studies have examined factors like enrollment, attendance, and dropout rates in Indian education, limited research explores the determinants of school life expectancy (SLE). This study aims to address that gap using data from the National Sample Survey for the years 2007-08, 2014, and 2017-18, covering all states and union territories. Using linear regression analysis, the study identifies that adult literacy, household size, and dropout rates significantly impact SLE. Adult literacy consistently shows a positive influence, with a 10% rise in adult literacy increasing male SLE by 15%. Conversely, larger household sizes and higher dropout rates negatively affect SLE. For total children, scheduled tribes/castes, Muslim children, and household education expenditure positively impact SLE, while factors like distance to school, government school enrollment, and dropout rates negatively impact male SLE. A 10% increase in household size, distance from school, and dropout rates reduces SLE by 6.78%, 5.77%, and 2.35%, respectively. The models show high adjusted R² values—0.64 for females, 0.77 for males, and 0.747 for total children—explaining 64% to 77% of SLE variation. These findings underscore the critical role of adult literacy and the negative effects of dropout rates and household size on children's education outcomes.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Human Capital, Education, and Work, Population Policies, Comparative methods

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