Heritage vs. Higher Education: Assessing Student Dropout Dynamics in the Sarthebari Bell Metal Craft Cluster

Khagen Das; Dhanjit Deka

Heritage vs. Higher Education: Assessing Student Dropout Dynamics in the Sarthebari Bell Metal Craft Cluster

Author(s)	Dr. Khagen Das, Mr. Dhanjit Deka
Country	India
Abstract	Higher education dropout reduces societal human capital and deepens economic vulnerability (Helland et al., 2025). In Sarthebari town (Barpeta, Assam)—the core of Assam’s indigenous bell metal industry—this labor-intensive craft serves as an economic lifeline but acts as a powerful socio-economic pull factor, drawing youth out of classrooms into family workshops [Bhuyan & Singha, 2014]. This study assesses how dependency on the traditional bell metal craft drives higher education attrition. It identifies the socio-economic push-and-pull factors, household labor dynamics, generational expectations, and academic mismatches forcing students to discontinue their studies. Mixed method approach, i.e., structured questionnaires and qualitative interviews have been used to collect the primary data from a sample of 200 including dropouts, local artisans, and educators. To analyze the statistical relationship between the Bell metal craft dependence and dropout rates, Chi-Square test of independence has been used. The field survey reveals that 76.7% of dropouts occurred at the Higher Secondary level, while 23.3% occurred at the undergraduate level. The primary catalysts for leaving college include the urgent need to support the family workshop (43.3%), acute financial constraints (23.3%), and labor-market uncertainties (33.3%). Furthermore, 93.3% of students contributed over six hours of daily manual labor during college, inducing physical exhaustion and severe academic time poverty. Chi-Square testing strongly rejected the null hypothesis (χ2 calculated value = 8.033), (p = 0.0046), confirming a highly significant association between bell metal craft dependence and higher education dropouts. Dropping out in Sarthebari operates as an active household risk-mitigation strategy where immediate workshop returns are prioritized over delayed educational dividends. To balance heritage preservation with educational attainment, the study recommends integrating flexible "Earn While You Learn" vocational modules under NEP 2020, offering specialized craft scholarships, and providing state-backed credit and raw-material subsidies to eliminate structural artisan poverty.
Keywords	Higher Education, Students’ Dropout, Sarthebari Bell Metal Craft
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-28

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Heritage vs. Higher Education: Assessing Student Dropout Dynamics in the Sarthebari Bell Metal Craft Cluster

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