Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society’s schools had district-wise disproportionate sanction of seats, which is resulting in higher enrolment in some districts and vacancies in other schools.
Viskhapatnam district which has 6.18 lakh tribal population has sanctioned strength of seats of more than 8,000 but enrolment did not exceed 7,000. However, Krishna district which has 1.32 lakh of tribal population has only sanctioned strength of 570 seats in APTWREIS. According to AP Tribal welfare department Krishna district has over enrolment of 596 students but in Visakhapatnam the enrolment did not exceed 7,000 seats.
If Visakhapatnam, the district of highest tribal population has to be considered, proportionately Krishna district can have a sanctioned strength of around 1250 but it got only 570.
The Joint Secretary of Tribal welfare department M. Vasu who looks after APTWREIS is not available on phone to explain this disparity, but officials in education departments in districts on anonymity say that the sanction of strength was given according to the strength of ITDA, but not according to tribal population in the district.
They have another explanation for over enrolment in Krishna and Guntur districts that some of the students who secure seats in APTWREIS don’t study there and go to private schools and maintain only attendance in rural and tribal schools.
According to officials, the students are using the certificates from the schools to appear for admissions tests of Indian Institute of Information Technology of Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge and Technology in Nuzvid and Idupulapaya and Nettur Technical Training Foundation of Gannavaram, Krishna district which give admission to students by giving them mandal wise ranks so that urban population may not dominate over rural folks.
A couple of parents on the condition of anonymity had agreed that their wards studied in Vijayawada, but were enrolled in rural and tribal schools.
