Kurnool: In a major achievement, Nandyal district has reached a milestone by attaining a 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) Survey. This is a key indicator of educational participation, reflecting the percentage of children within a specific age group who are out of schools.
The objective is to ensure that all children identified as part of the 100 per cent GER survey are regularly attending school and receiving the education they deserve.
DEO Sudhakar Reddy said the district administration, recognizing the importance of not just enrolling but also retaining these children aged between 5 and 18 years in the educational system, has initiated several measures.
A crucial aspect of these efforts is the establishment of a command control wing within the education department, which is tasked with facilitating coordination between various departments to closely monitor student attendance and facilitate effective communication with parents.
In anticipation of an upcoming verification of the GER survey by a central team, the district has taken various steps.
Mandal special officers have been appointed for this purpose. Their responsibilities include conducting random inspections of 30 households in their respective jurisdictions to identify children who are not attending school.
Following these inspections, these officers are required to submit a detailed report and work towards encouraging parents to re-enroll their children in school.
The district administration is also focussing on industrial areas like Nandyal, Dhone, and Atmakur, where the incidence of student dropouts is high.
Officials are planning to develop collaboration with student associations and voluntary organizations to identify and enroll students who have discontinued their education.
Nandyal collector, Manazir Samoon, has explained the efforts being made by mandal teams, comprising mandal parishad development officers (MPDOs), mandal education officers (MEOs) and school headmasters, are working in tandem with volunteers.
The collector has sought special attention towards children who have been enrolled but are not attending school. “We have directed municipal commissioners, MPDOs, MEOs, headmasters, welfare secretaries, and volunteers at Sachivalayam offices across the district to form groups. These groups are entrusted with the task of ensuring that all identified children are re-enrolled in schools,” he said.
In a novel approach, three teams have been constituted in each mandal. Their mandate is to visit the homes of children who are absent from school, engage with their parents, and encourage school enrollment.
Beginning Monday, a team of district officials will commence visits to various mandals to oversee the enrollment of absent children.
Meanwhile, the district collector has issued instructions to the labour department to act against establishments employing minors.
