Bolangir: More than 700 students in migration-affected Bolangir district have failed to appear for the ongoing High School Certificate (HSC) examinations, raising serious concerns about the impact of seasonal labour migration on secondary education.
According to district officials, 701 candidates have remained absent so far from the matriculation examination, which began Thursday across 168 centres in the district. A total of 24,091 students from 371 high schools had been declared eligible to sit the examination this year.
Bolangir is widely regarded as one of Odisha’s most migration-prone districts, with thousands of families travelling outside the state annually in search of seasonal work. Educationists and local residents suspect that many of the absent students may have accompanied their parents as migrant labourers, commonly known as “dadan” workers, resulting in their failure to appear in the crucial board examination.
The highest levels of seasonal migration are reported from blocks including Belpada, Khaprakhol, Patnagarh, Turekela, Muribahal, Bangomunda and Titilagarh. In many cases, children travel with their parents, leading to prolonged disruption of schooling.
On the first day of the examination alone, 717 students were absent, triggering concern within the district administration and the School and Mass Education department. Observers say the large-scale absenteeism could jeopardise the academic future of the affected students.
District Education Officer Pradeep Kumar Nag said headmasters have been directed to conduct door-to-door visits to ascertain the reasons behind the absences. “Schools have been asked to collect information about each absent student and submit detailed reports. The exact reasons will be clear once the verification process is complete,” he said, adding that there is no official confirmation yet linking the absences directly to migration.
Notably, nearly 700 students in the district had also missed the matric examination in 2025. Critics argue that the recurrence of similar figures this year suggests that adequate preventive measures were not put in place despite last year’s warning signs.
Educationists have urged the administration to take immediate steps to address migration-linked disruptions and ensure that students from vulnerable families are not deprived of the opportunity to complete their secondary education.