Chittoor: District Collector Sumit Kumar has directed officials to identify school dropouts and ensure their re-enrolment in schools at the earliest. He stressed the need for coordinated efforts to improve student attendance, health, and nutrition during a review meeting held on Wednesday with APC Venkata Ramana Reddy, Mandal Education Officers (MEOs), and headmasters (HMs).

Speaking on the occasion, the Collector said that as of July 2025, a total of 4,202 students had been identified as dropouts across the district. Of them, 1,997 students have already been re-admitted to various schools. He instructed MEOs to prepare detailed reports, school-wise, through headmasters, on students who have been brought back. He also stressed the importance of engaging with parents of students who are still out of school to motivate them to send their children back.

To safeguard adolescent girls’ health, the Collector announced quarterly anaemia tests to be conducted by medical officers, with results to be shared with parents. “Only when children are healthy can they achieve quality education,” he said.

He stressed the need to serve nutritious items such as ragi malt and chikki regularly. Meals must be prepared on gas stoves, not firewood, he said, adding that any school facing gas supply issues should report immediately so that alternative arrangements can be made with other gas agencies.