Migration Pushes Up School Dropout Rates in Kurnool

Kurnool: The school dropout rates in Kurnool and Nandyal districts have been showing a gradual increase in recent years. At present, around 5,800 children are identified as school dropouts across the two districts.

As per a survey conducted during the 2021–22 academic year, the zero-dropout rate stood at 4.4 per cent at the upper primary level and 20 per cent at the secondary level.

Officials have attributed the rise in dropout numbers mainly to the migration of families from rural areas in search of employment.

A recent survey conducted by Community Resource Persons (CRPs) identified about 3,800 out-of-school children in Kurnool district and nearly 2,000 in the Nandyal region. Unlike the earlier years, when migrant families left young children behind in villages, families are now migrating along with their children. Health-related issues and financial difficulties were identified as the primary reasons forcing children to discontinue schooling.

In the Kurnool urban area alone, 518 children were out of school. Other mandals also reported considerable numbers, including 122 in Aluru, 102 in Aspari, 358 in Kalluru, 413 in Kodumuru, 274 in Kosigi, 124 in Guduru, 237 in Holagunda, 122 in Kurnool rural, 466 in Adoni, 112 in Mantralayam, and 198 in Yemmiganur.

These figures highlight the widespread nature of the issue across both urban and rural pockets.

The CRPs collected detailed information on these children, including cases where students were wrongly marked as dropouts or where Aadhaar card details were registered more than once in the school login system. Education department officials said they would rectify such errors and re-enroll the children in nearby schools wherever possible.

In November 2024, Nandyal MP Byreddy Shabari raised questions in the house regarding dropout figures and staffing norms. Officials explained that under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the prescribed Pupil–Teacher Ratio (PTR) is 30:1 at the primary level and 35:1 at the upper primary level.

Data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), which recorded education indicators for the 2021–22 period, showed that the PTR in the Kurnool region stood at 34 at the primary level, 21 at upper primary, 11 at secondary, and 23 at higher secondary level.

During the same period, the dropout rate was reported as zero at the primary level, 4.4 per cent at upper primary, and 20.1 per cent at the secondary level in the district. At the state level, the dropout rate was zero at the primary level, 1.6 per cent at the upper primary level, and 16.3 per cent at the secondary level, accounting for around 46,000 school dropouts.

An education department official clarified that the apparent increase in dropout numbers is largely due to more accurate data collection. “Earlier, it was difficult to trace children who migrated with their families. Many have now returned and were found staying at home. The recent CRP survey helped in identifying these children and understanding the real reasons behind dropouts, mainly migration and family-related issues,” the official said.

Points:

As per a survey during the 2021–22 academic year, the zero-dropout rate stood at 4.4 per cent at the upper primary level and nearly 20 per cent at the secondary level. At present, around 5,800 children are identified as school dropouts across Kurnool and Nandyal districts.