HYDERABAD: According to the Department of School Education’s most recent absenteeism report, around 39,700 students and 1,300 government school teachers miss school in Hyderabad on an average every day.
The student attendance percentage for 993 government schools in the city stands at around 73.73 per cent, considerably lower than of schools in rural areas. Teachers also fail poorly in this regard, with over 20 per cent failing to show up in school.
"Hyderabad is the worst-performing district in terms of attendance and performance," said Telangana Education Secretary B Janardhan Reddy. A total of 151,211 students have enrolled at 993 government schools in the city, of which around 111,493 students were present as on November 30.
"Even a 1 per cent increase in attendance is a big challenge. But now, we are coming up with incentives for students who maintain a good attendance report. According to what we have understood, the reason for absenteeism among students in urban areas are silly. They miss schools on a stretch even if there is a small function at home," he said.
According to the Education Secretary, the attendance percentage has a direct effect on the student’s performance. "Some district schools have a very good attendance rate, like the one in Kamareddy with 85.52 per cent," he said.
A total of 7,068 teachers are appointed in government schools across Hyderabad, but only around 5,600 show up to schools. “Attendance of the students is linked to the attendance of teachers. It is to be noted that schools which have regular teachers have regular students,” said an official from the Department of School Education.
Overall attendance for government teachers at 87 per cent
The overall attendance report for government school teachers is at 87 per cent, the highest of which is in Kamareddy (90.97 per cent). The lowest teacher attendance is recorded in Hyderabad at 80.28 per cent, followed by Rangareddy at 85.67 per cent