Schooling takes a backseat in Narayankhed

The shortage of schools, teachers and the acute poverty are hitting the school education hard in this area

Narayankhed: A visit to the remote tribal hamlets in the hilly terrains of the Narayankhed constituency in Medak District reveals more than just a lack of basic facilities and rural infrastructure. Education has taken a back seat in this area. In every hamlet, one can see children dropping out of school by 7th or 8th class. The shortage of schools, teachers and the acute poverty in the rural areas are hitting the school education hard in this area.

A majority of farmers grow only one crop a year and any mishap in seasonal rainfall would worsen the situation further. Every year, families migrate to other areas between October and April, mostly to the sugarcane harvesting areas such as Kamareddy, Metpally, Bodhan, Sangareddy, Medak, Zaheerabad and Halikhed (Karnataka). They take their children along with them. Children help their parents in work, losing their valuable childhood and schooling.

Though some children manage to appear for their final exams after returning from the season and complete their upper primary education, most of them will drop out during their high school due to the poor financial condition of their family. They work in stores, tea stalls, pan shops, sugarcane fields and graze the cattle.

Having seen the ‘returns’ of their labour, they abandon schooling and adopt a routine that includes even alcoholism. Of late, Telangana Sarva Shiksha Abiyaan has been organising day schools in the regions that have a significant number of migrated families to ensure continuity of their children education; they can never replace regular schooling. A convergence between the departments of labour, education and police is absent, resulting in child labour and children dropping out of schools.

As per the information given by the Mandal Education Officers (MEOs) of the five mandals in the Narayankhed constituency, 109 children were believed to have dropped out of schools last year. Teachers’ organizations and NGOs dispute the figure. In many schools, the headmasters don’t report the actual number as it would be held against their reputation. The MEOs report the same to superiors.

This continues till it reaches the top. However, adding this figure to the number of children who may have dropped out of schools in the past few years, the number would be mind boggling. About 1517 children from Narayankhed have migrated along with their families since October, according to the department of education.

The lack of schools- only 3 government high schools in Kangti Mandal, 6 high schools in Manur Mandal, only 5 high schools in Shankarampet (A) Mandal- very few hostels, delayed appointment of Academic Instructors (Vidya Volunteers) every year, understaffed schools are affecting school education.

In Narayankhed mandal, Muslims comprise 40 per cent of the total population and remaining mandals in the district have a sizable Muslim population. However, a complete absence of teaching staff in many Urdu medium schools in the district has become a very serious problem.

“Primary education is on the verge of collapse,” observed Mohd Ibrahim, General Secretary, Telangana Regional Teachers Union, Medak District. “A proper monitoring system is required right from the mandal-level to district-level officials.

The government should seriously consider providing vehicles to officers for continuously monitoring schools,” opined Mohd Abdullah, Co-Chairman, Telangana Teachers Joint Action Committee, Medak District. Narayankhed has voted for change in the just concluded assembly by-election. Unless the government addresses the concerns of school education, children working as labourers would continue to haunt Medak, the Chief Minister’s home district.