TIRUNELVELI: In a bid to make Tirunelveli a no drop-out district and achieve a 100% college enrolment, collector Dr R Sukumar appealed to teachers and college faculties to alert the district administration if they come across any Class 12 dropouts. He also asked the authorities to keep a check on those students who have lost their parents.
The collector was speaking at a special higher education guidance camp held at the Collectorate on Tuesday. "In the 2024-25 academic year, 14,847 students appeared for Class 12 public exam in the district, of which 13,285 cleared it. Among them, 1,035 students did not join any college. To support these students, the administration conducts this special guidance camp. The administration has already taken measures to prevent educational discontinuation. Schemes like Pudhumai Penn and Tamil Pudhalvan are being effectively implemented to promote higher education," Sukumar said.
He added that as part of the initiative, two helpline numbers - 95003 24417 and 95005 24417 - are operational at the collectorate's control room to provide counselling with the help of trained teachers. "The administration is also providing financial and emotional support to the students who have lost one or both parents, encouraging them to pursue higher studies. We have asked headmasters of all schools to identify students and find out the reasons for not joining higher education. Suitable support is being arranged through the administration to ensure they are enrolled," he said.
The collector also honoured two government school students, who secured admission to prestigious colleges, and seven others who cleared NEET by presenting them with shawls. He also distributed cheques worth Rs 3,500 each to five students for their college fees from his discretionary fund. The event was attended by Chief Educational Officer M Sivakumar, students and parents.