Enrolment Drive Turns Challenging for School Teachers

Kurnool:Enrolment in government schools has emerged as a major challenge for teachers across Andhra Pradesh, as the state pushes to add over 3.2 lakh new students in the current academic year.

From district headquarters to mandal-level villages, teachers are going door to door, persuading parents to admit their children in government schools. In several areas, the situation is alarming, with some primary schools having just 10 to 12 students up to Class 5.

Teachers working in such schools fear that low enrolment could lead to transfers under staff rationalisation.

The state government aims to increase enrolment from 32,01,607 in 2025–26 to 35,21,768 in 2026–27, requiring the addition of 3,20,161 students. However, ground realities remain challenging. With enrolment directly linked to staff allocation, anxiety is growing among teachers.

“We are meeting parents personally and trying every possible way to enroll children. If admissions don’t improve, there is a real fear that our posts may be shifted,” said a teacher from Porumamilla in Kadapa district.

Teachers are also focusing on anganwadi centres, attempting to bring children aged five into Class 1 in government schools. But private institutions continue to pose stiff competition.

In C Rajupalem village of Kamalapuram mandal in Kadapa district, a primary school has just seven students, with no new admissions in the past three years. “We haven’t received even a single new admission in the last three years,” said a district education official.

Kurnool district, which has been given one of the highest targets of around 24,000 new admissions, has achieved less than 20 per cent so far.

“Getting children into government schools has become extremely difficult. Private schools are aggressively attracting parents and students,” said a headmaster from Kurnool district.

To tackle the issue, the government has launched initiatives such as ‘Badi Pilusthondi’ and ‘Badi Panduga’, along with an integrated database and community-based student tracking systems. Special focus is being laid on preventing dropouts during key transition stages, particularly from Classes 5 to 6 and 8 to 9.

Nandyal district collector G Rajakumari said, “Out of 14,248 children eligible for Class 1, only 7,615 have been enrolled in government schools so far, which is just 53.41 per cent. We have directed officials to complete at least 10,000 admissions within a week.”

With schools set to reopen on June 12, authorities aim to complete the enrolment process by the end of the month. However, teachers remain anxious about achieving the targets.

“If children do not join government schools, the situation will become even more difficult for us,” another teacher said.

Meanwhile, private schools across the state have intensified their outreach efforts, conducting door-to-door campaigns to secure admissions, further intensifying competition for government institutions.

 Top 10 Districts by Target Enrolment (2026–27)

District name - No. of schools - Enrolment 2025–26 - Target 2026–27

Kurnool- 1,423 - 2,55,692 - 2,81,260

Anantapur - 1,704 - 1,88,485 - 2,07,334

Srikakulam - 2,612 - 1,59,032 - 1,74,935

Nellore - 2,442 - 1,55,588 - 1,71,147

Kadapa (YSR) 2,215 - 1,38,716 - 1,52,588

Tirupati 2,336 - 1,38,364 - 1,52,200

Palnadu - 1,522 - 1,33,888 - 1,47,277

Sri Sathya Sai - 2,032 - 1,32,529 - 1,45,782

Nandyal - 1,344 - 1,32,058 - 1,45,264

Kakinada - 1,249 - 1,22,633 - 1,34,896