HYDERABAD: From being featured on the cover of her college magazine as a third rank holder to being a daily wage earner in a dry fruits packing company, Thirupathamma's life has taken a sharp U-turn in just a couple of months.
Until a few weeks ago, the 17-year-old's was a perfect story of success, having scored 80 per cent in Intermediate 2nd year despite all the odds. The girl’s dream run in academics, however, came to a grinding halt due to the prevailing economic distress.
"My college is refusing to give my certificates because I still have to pay Rs 8,000 fee. So far, I paid Rs 14,000. Because of the lockdown, lack of work and sickness, my family is not even able to earn enough money to bring food to the house," says Thirupathamma, a resident of Giri Prasad Nagar, which is located near the Jawaharnagar dump yard.
As Thirupathamma is unable to clear the pending dues, the private junior college in Nagaram decided not
to give her the transfer and bonafide certificates as well as her 10th class marks memo. Thirupathamma's father and 21-year old brother, who is also a dropout, work as casual labourers. During the lockdown, like many other poor labourers, they were out of work. Both of them are now suffering from different ailments and are unable to work six days a week.
Though their collective income ensured that she completed her Intermediate with flying colours, both her mother and she are now forced to work. "Now, it has come to a stage where if both my mother and I don't work, we will not have food on the table. If my brother was fine, he would have earned up to Rs 8,000 in two months and got my certificates," she says.
An analysis by Child Rights and You (CRY), which works with five bastis, shows that as of October nearly 30 students have dropped out as they are unable to get their certificates from private colleges and schools where they are studying.
"This is an institutional issue that is prevailing because the income and earning opportunities have fallen and students are not able to pay their fees. Had Right to Education been there and a junior college in the vicinity, then she would have never needed to go to a private college in the first place and face this situation," said Hima Bindu, main fellow, CRY.
In Thirupathamma's case, it is BSc Nursing that she will miss if she does not get her certificates soon. It would then push her to a year of labour and maybe seal her fate forever.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, an official from Medchal Intermediate Education Office said: "We have been resolving individual cases as and when they come to our notice. We will look into this case as well."