Hyderabad: Migration, absenteeism, lure of private schools and girls getting married early are the prime reasons for the high dropout rates in Urdu medium high schools in the Old City, according to a report prepared by the Hyderabad collector.
   In response to a representation by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on the increasing number of students dropping out and other problems faced by the Urdu medium high schools, Hyderabad collector Natarajan Gulzar had asked district educational officer (DEO) E Balakashaiah to conduct a detailed probe and submit a report.
   The MP, in the representation, also alleged that students were being retained in Class IX instead of being promoted to Class X. He also furnished a list of 29 Urdu medium high schools located in eight assembly constituencies__ Yakutpura, Malakpet, Nampally, Goshamahal, Chandrayangutta, Bahadurpura, Karwan and Charminar. The list contained details of the strength in Class X in June, when the academic year began, and that in October, highlighting the number of drop-outs by the year end.
   The DEO conducted the probe at the Urdu medium schools located in Bandlaguda, Charminar, Bahadurpura, Golconda, Nampally and Hayathnagar mandals and submitted a report to the collector recently. For instance, at the Government Girls’ High School, Maisaram in Bandlaguda mandal, the Class X strength in June was 83 and came down to 77. According to the report, one student was issued transfer certificate (TC), three students got married and two students were absent continuously.
   At GHS, Moghalpura in Charminar mandal, the Class X strength was 89 in June. Now, the number of students has come down to 58. The DEO in the report stated that of the 89 students, 22 students were transferred to a new school, GHS, Alawayatheema. Among them, 12 students were regular absentees (as per the attendance record).
   Similarly at GHS, Jahnuma in Bahadurpura, the class strength was 80 when the academic year started, but by October it fell to 56. In the report, the official said that one student took TC, while names of 23 students were struck off the rolls due to various reasons like migration and shifting to private schools.
   At Government Boys’ High School, First Lancer in Golconda mandal, the Class X strength in June was 13. Of them, three students had taken TC as they shifted their residence and one student left the school on health grounds.
   “We found another reason for long absence of students during the holy month of Ramzan. As most of them come from poor families, they go to Charminar and nearby areas to sell perfumes, bangles and other wares,” Hyderabad DEO E Balakashaiah told TOI.
   Also, families are migrating from one place to another due to a variety of reasons, including high rentals and better income prospects. As a result, the performance of high schools in the Old City was poor in SSC 2010, he added.
   Names of scores of students were struck off the rolls due to less attendance and they were forced to appear as ‘private’ candidates.
   However, with the intervention of the collector, the ‘privating’ of absentee students would not happen as they would appear now as regular students in March, 2012.