‘Collector Didi’ Gargi Jain cuts dropout rate in Chhota Udepur with weekly school visits

Chhota Udepur: Instead of sitting behind a desk, Gujarat’s Chhota Udepur Collector Gargi Jain chose a plastic chair in a classroom. The 2015-batch IAS officer started ‘Collector in Classroom’ in Feb 2025, visiting girls’ schools across tribal areas every week to talk about dreams, safety, and careers. Students now call her “Collector Didi” instead of “Madam Collector.”

The initiative directly mentors 750+ girls across 5 Kanya Vidyalayas in the tribal-dominated district. Jain also speaks on life skills, legal rights, and shares personal experiences to encourage students to speak up.

The impact is visible. As reported by The Better India, school dropouts in the district fell from nearly 9,000 in 2025 to around 5,500 in 2026. The girls’ dropout rate dropped by nearly 60% in a year.