‘Back to school’ to benefit 15,000 children in undivided Anantapur dist

Anantapur : About 15,000 odd school going age children are outside classrooms in the undivided district of Anantapur.

Due to the lackadaisical attitude of the previous government over bringing back the dropouts to schools, particularly in rural areas, about 9,000 plus school children in Anantapur district and 6,000 odd school children in Sri Sathya Sai district are reportedly outside the schools purview. The merger of schools and bringing them down to lesser number by GO 117 had it's bearing on the school children due to the closing of poorly attended schools in their villages. Hence, several children stopped going to school for reasons like travelling long distance etc.

The present government has decided to launch the campaign of 'back to school' once again. The government issued directives that orphan children should be admitted in KGBV schools, while children of migrant labourers should be admitted in school hostels or residential schools, model schools and Kasturba schools.

The government launched the programme ‘I will go back to school’, instructing teachers, headmasters, mandal authorities and people’s representatives to involve actively in the enrollment of children in their local schools.

In Anantapur district, mandals lagging in sending children to schools include Rayadurg, Guntakal, Tadipatri, Singanamala, Kundurpi, Gooty, Pedavaduguru, Gatladinna, Bukkarayasanudram, Uravakonda, Yellanur and Putlur.

In Sathya Sai district, Parigi, Tanekal, Dharmavaram, Gandlapenta, Nallamada, Ramagiri, Hindupur, OD Cheruvu, Kadiri, Gorantla, Penukonda and Nallacheruvu.

As parents migrate to cities for work, some children prefer to go to work, while some others shifted from government schools to private schools.

Regional Joint Director of Schools Samuel told The Hans India that seasonal hostels will be opened for the children of migrant parents to enable them to study even in the absence of their parents in villages.