Empty classrooms: No new enrolment for third year in Telangana government school
Is a school really a school if there are no students and no classes? That is the story of a government school in Telangana's Khammam district, where a once-thriving Zilla Parishad High School hasn't seen a single student enrolment this academic year.The school in question is located in Astnagurthy village (also known as Asnagurthi), in Wyra Mandal, about 38 km from Khammam district headquarters. The school, which is about 193 km east-southeast of the capital Hyderabad, is now facing an existential crisis — the disturbing trend of no new enrolment since the past three years continues.advertisementDespite having three teachers, including a headmistress posted at the school last year, not one student showed up. Teachers would attend school daily, only to return without conducting a single class. Eventually, they were deputed to other schools while continuing to draw their salaries under the Astnagurthy school's payroll. This year, the situation remains unchanged.
Over the past week, the three posted teachers have been regularly attending the school and returning home each day, even though no students are on the rolls. Their salaries range from Rs 80,000 to over Rs 90,000 per month, costing the government nearly Rs 3 lakh per month — and over Rs 40 lakh annually — to run a school without students.A ONCE-CROWDED SCHOOL NOW DESERTEDThis institution, established in 1976, once served as an educational hub for 10–15 surrounding villages. During the 1990s, more than 1,000 students studied here. In fact, gaining admission used to require recommendations due to high demand.advertisementBut over the years, numbers dwindled drastically. Parents began favoring private schools, and the government itself promoted residential educational institutions like Gurukuls. These factors led to a dramatic fall in admissions.Now, despite being equipped to teach students from classes 6 to 10, and requiring at least 11 teachers for full-fledged operations, the school is being run with just three teachers — and not a single student.ALUMNI SUPPORT SCHOOL BUT IN VAINIronically, several former students of the school have gone on to become government employees and NRIs. A few of them, nostalgic about their school days, donated 20 computers, a TV, and furniture to support the school's revival. But their goodwill has yet to attract a single student.Local villagers, including Hari Koteshwer Rao, expressed frustration, stating that the lack of adequate teaching staff in recent years pushed parents to send their children elsewhere. Anwar, a Hindi teacher, and Chandrashekar, a science teacher, echoed similar concerns.They pointed out that earlier, the school had enough teachers to run all classes smoothly. But successive staff transfers and lack of fresh appointments led to a trust deficit among parents. As a result, the school fell into decline.
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