Concern expressed over decline in enrolment in govt schools

 Vizianagaram: Generalbody meeting of the Zilla Parishad was held here on Friday under the chairmanship of ZP Chairman Majji Srinivasa Rao, where various critical issues related to education, irrigation, agriculture and healthcare were discussed.

Minister for MSME and SERP, Kondapalli Srinivas, and Minister for Tribal Welfare, Gummidi Sandhya Rani, were among the key attendees.

Addressing the general body meeting, Minister Srinivas expressed concern over the decline in student enrolment in government schools compared to last year. He emphasised the need for a scientific analysis to understand the reasons behind this trend. Highlighting the quality facilities being provided = qualified teachers, nutritious mid-day meals, and quality education - he said the government spends nearly Rs70,000 per student annually. Despite this, the drop in enrolment is a worrying trend, he said.

The Minister instructed the District Education Officer (DEO) to identify whether students are shifting to private institutions or migrating to other districts, and to conduct a survey accordingly. He also mentioned that while there has been a decline of around 8,000 students this year, some offline admissions are still ongoing.

ZP Chairman Majji Srinivasa Rao noted the decline in enrolment was a matter of serious concern. During a recent visit to Merakamudidam mandal, he observed a decrease of 1,100 students compared to the previous year. He also raised concerns about the delay in depositing ₹2,000 under the ‘Thalliki Vandanaam’ scheme into school management accounts, which was earlier promised after transferring ₹13,000 to mothers’ accounts.

District Collector Dr B R Ambedkar assured that a special enrolment drive will be conducted. He stated that every child aged five and above should be enrolled in school and efforts are underway to eliminate out-of-school children.

The ICDS department has already been directedto submit lists of children completing Anganwadi programmes. The ₹2,000 under the “Thalliki Vandanam” scheme will be credited based on school needs, he added. A mega Teacher-Parent Meeting will be held on July 10 to complete the admission process.

Responding to concerns raised by Gorrepati Buchi Appa Rao regarding water supply from the Tatipudi reservoir to the proposed MSME Park, Minister Srinivas clarified that the issue has not come up for discussion at the government level.

He said there was no need for farmers to panic and urged people not to spread misinformation. The ZP Chairman noted that the previous government had issued a G.O. regarding water supply, but it did not mandate sourcing water from Tatipudi specifically.