Kothagudem: The poor attendance of students of Clases 6, 7 and 8 in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district is surprising. Though school headmasters and teachers are campaigning to get the children to come to school, only 37.69 per cent of students turned up in the junior classes.
These classes commenced on February 24 and education minister Sabita Indra Reddy had stated that parental permission is required for students to attend school. The government had reopened junior classes with the epidemic ebbing and the advent of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The attendance is lower in private institutions when compared to the government schools — 30.47 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. Of the 5,438 students enrolled in Class 6 in private schools, only 1,048 are attending classes. Against this, 2,296 of 4,625 students are attending Class 6 in government schools.
In Class 7, the attendance in private schools is 24.32 per cent against 46.57 in government schools and in Class 8, 30.47 per cent in private schools and 45 per cent in government institutions.
N. Venkateswara Rao, a teacher working in a private school, said that the parents were not sending their kids to schools due to the fee demand. “Private schools are insisting that parents pay the fees dues immediately. A majority of the parents are poor and their incomes were affected during the pandemic. They are not sending their kids keeping the fee demand in view,” he said.
The attendance in Classes 9 and 10 has increased. Even here, the attendance is higher in government schools. Government schools clocked 74.47 per cent attendance in Class 10 and 68.38 per cent in Class 9 against 62.93 per cent and 55.6 per cent respectively in private schools.
The headmasters of government schools succeeded to some extent in convincing the parents in sending their kids to the schools.
