Kothagudem: There is fear among educationists in Bhadrardri-Kothagudem district about an increase in the drop-out rate of students due to the Covid-19, the lockdowns, the financial struggles thereof, and the abrupt closure of schools for 11 months.
Such a trend was evident in a study of the attendance books of classes in 322 schools, including 119 private schools, in Bhadradri district. Though 75.52 per cent of the students had given consent letters to return to classes, the attendance was limited to only 38.82 per cent of the strength in these schools.
The government opened schools for classes IX and X from February 1 and the two days’ student attendance was not impressive. The situation in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalam (KGBV) was one example. About 499 students in Class IX out of the 570 had given their consent to attend the classes. However, only 33 girl students (5.79 per cent) of Class IX and X attended classes on February 2.
Against this, 10.56 per cent…