ONGOLE: The Bodapadu (Markapur mandal, Prakasam district) Government (MPP) Primary School has placed a ‘No Admission board for 2025-26.’ The school has only two classrooms and four teachers.
The rare occurrence drew the attention of HRD Minister Nara Lokesh and the district Collector. They appreciated the efforts of teachers’ and school staff, which stands as an inspiration for other government schools. It has come in just 2.5 years with the sincere and committed service of an ex-serviceman turned teacher, Polisetty Srinivasulu, who was transferred here in 2022.
Most government schools face the serious issue of declining student numbers year by year, and the majority are becoming single-teacher schools due to shifting of students to nearby private or corporate schools.
However, Bodapadu MPP SC BC (R) Model School created a new chapter in government school progress by putting up the ‘No Admission’ board on its gate.
A few years ago, the same Bodapadu school had a total strength of 40 students for Classes 1 to 5.
Last year (2024-25), the number rose to 115 after the school gained a reputation for producing students who secured Navodaya seats.
Now, the student strength has increased sharply to 142. As part of the administrative skills and academic services of dedicated teacher Srinivasulu (52), along with headmaster M Jocob and teachers T Ravikumar and Surekha, personal care is given to each student, which earned the school a reputation for quality education. The infrastructure provides, including a pleasant ambience, attractive classrooms, and tasty mid-day meals, became additional attractions for the school. Parents and students queued for admissions, resulting in the ‘No Admission’ board at the entrance gate.
Though the Bodapadu school is situated in a rural area about 3.5 to 4 km from Markapur town, more than half its students come from surrounding villages as well as distant urban localities. Interestingly, many students are children or relatives of the school teachers, who prefer private schools.
“To provide the best education and infrastructure for my students, I spent nearly Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh of my own money in these years, mainly on construction of additional sheds, salaries for two volunteers, extra books for students, teaching materials. I am very happy for this achievement. In my 13 years career as a teacher, my 17 students got Navodaya seats and half a dozen got free IIT coaching seats. My students are good in academics and best in conduct,” Srinivasulu said.
In 2002, he became a Secondary Grade Teacher (SGT) at Obulakkapalli village transforming a one-teacher, 10-student primary school into an institution with 250 students and seven teachers over 10.5 years.