Bhubaneswar, Nov. 22: The school and mass education department plans to introduce pre-primary education in government schools to get kids early into studies and subsequently check dropouts.

Authorities feel that pre-primary education should be a part of elementary education to improve retention in schools across the state and improve academic performance.

Addressing the third meeting of the state advisory council, school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra emphasised the need for innovative ways to draw more kids to preschools and generate interest towards studies.

"The concept of pre-primary education is still absent in government schools but it is an excellent means to draw children to education through activities, song, dance and games. Such activities go a long way in defining the students' academic performance," said Shubhra Mishra, a preschool founder.

The enrolment of students in government primary schools has been decreasing over the past seven years. The U-DISE 2014-15 (Unified District Information System for Education) - a database of information about schools in India by the National University for Educational Planning and Administration - reports that only 42,23,628 students were enrolled in classes I to V in 2014-15 while 43,78, 970 students enrolled in 2013-14.

The enrolment figures were highest during 2010-11 over the past few years. It touched 44,67,851 that year, but dipped to 44,33,052 in 2011-12 and further to 43,36,961 in 2012-13.

An official of school and mass education department said people preferred private schools, mostly English medium schools, over government schools not just in cities but even in towns and villages.

Mishra directed the school management committees to adopt creative means to make school attractive for students.