RAS question
According to SWI 2026, the share of young men in education fell from 38% in 2017 to what percentage by late 2024?
Correct answer: (C) 34%.
According to State of Working India 2026, the share of young men in education fell from 38% in 2017 to 34% by late 2024.
Explanation
State of Working India 2026 identifies a specific decline in male tertiary enrolment: the share of young men in education fell from 38% in 2017 to 34% in late 2024. The linked pressure was economic, not merely academic or institutional. The Azim Premji University press release says a large share cited the need to support household incomes as the reason for withdrawal, and by 2023, 72% of those leaving education gave this reason, up from 58% in 2017. That makes 34% the only option consistent with the reported fall and its stated cause.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 30% understates the reported decline; SWI 2026 gives 34%, not a fall of eight percentage points from 2017.
- (B) 32% is lower than the figure reported for late 2024 and is not the percentage cited in the SWI 2026 press release.
- (D) 36% would show only a two-point fall from 2017, whereas SWI 2026 reports the share had fallen to 34% by late 2024.
Concept
This tests current-affairs reading of labour, education and demographic-transition indicators. RAS often asks such data points because they connect social-sector access with employment pressure and household-income constraints.