Andhra Pradesh - Eluru

Concern over rising dropout rate in education

Photo: A.V.G. Prasad

‘Do something’: A girl student playing Pranitha, a victim of acid attack in Warangal, at a cultural rally held in Eluru on Friday. —

ELURU: Andhra University Vice-Chancellor B. Satyanarayana on Friday expressed serious concern over the increasing dropout rate in higher education in the country.

Speaking at a function after inaugurating the Andhra University Inter-Collegiate Youth Festival titled ‘Hela Youth Fest-2009’ here, the Vice-Chancellor said enrolment in institutes of higher education was registered at 11.5 per cent as against the national average of 25 per cent, which was “woefully a poor show” in spite of financial support rendered by the government to the economically and socially backward students. Although female literacy had improved in the recent times, it was still not up to satisfaction, he remarked.

Prof. Satyanarayana underlined the need for students in the country to face challenges posed by globalisation on the education and employment fronts across the world.

He exhorted the student community to hone up skills in both the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and adopt multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary approaches as part of equipping themselves to withstand the competition.

Meanwhile, the three-day youth festival got off to a colourful start at St. Theresa’s College for Women here with around 600 male and female students from 40 colleges affiliated to Andhra University descending on the city.

The cultural rally taken out in the thoroughfares turned out to be a centre of attraction. The event gave an expression to the fair sex to highlight their vulnerability to acid attacks and eve-teasing.

Girls held placards seeking ‘acid attack proofs’. One of them played Pranitha, the victim of such an attack in Warangal recently. A ‘demon’ of eve-teasing was on display in the forefront even as the ‘hapless’ girls pleaded for safety. The programme also provided an opportunity to the students to bring out their innate talents. A group of students held out a replica of globe surrounded by cluster of plantations in a bid to highlight the need to save the mother earth from environmental pollution by protecting trees.

Terrorism was another theme that got adequate focus during the rally. Folk and tribal dances supported by drum beats also formed part of the rally.

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