Khammam: The increasing dropouts in junior colleges located in the towns when compared to the rural areas have become a cause for worry for lecturers working in these institutions.
Attendance of students in junior colleges is more in rural areas than in towns like Khammam, Kothagudem, Bhadrachalam and Manuguru. Attendance in junior colleges in rural areas like Siripuram, Banigandlapadu, Madhira and Kamepalli, remote villages and mandal headquarters in Khammam district was over 76 per cent.
Attendance in Kamepalli junior college was 85 per cent, Mudigonda 80 per cent and Madhira 90 per cent. In contrast, attendance in three junior colleges in Khammam town was 62 per cent and 60 per cent in junior colleges in Sattupalli.
The situation in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district is not too different. Dropout rate in Kothagudem and Paloncha is nearly 45 per cent and 44 per cent in Bhadrachalam.
Interestingly, the government has provided infrastructure with the cost of Rs 14 crore to many of the colleges to increase attendance.
Pucca buildings were built for junior colleges in Pindiprolu, Enkoor, Kallur and Wyra in Khammam district and Charla, Pinapaka, Aswaraopet, Burgupamhad and Bhadrachalam in Kothagudem district and contract lecturers were hired so that teaching is not affected in these institutions.
The reasons for the dropout rate is believed to be poverty and availability of temporary employment and proximity to the entertainment centres like cinemas.
N. Sitaram, a government college lecturer, said, “Availability of entertainment may be one of the reasons. In places like Kamepalli, dropout rate is not that high since there is no entertainment due to lack of cinema theatres there.”
