The state has more junior colleges than required, but ironically, 65 mandals do not have a single college. While at present there are about 20.41 lakh Inter seats in the state, 23 lakh more are going to be added in the coming academic year – a clear case of concentration of educational institutions in major cities and towns – about 57,000 students who pass out of schools in these 65 mandals, have to travel for over 30 kms every day for their further studies. Ironically, about 12,000 of them are most likely to drop out of higher studies due to lack of colleges close at home.

There are a total of 1,100 mandals in the state. A majority of the mandals where there are no junior colleges are in the Telangana region with Adilabad topping the list with nine mandals. Andhra and Rayalaseema regions put together have about 30 mandals where there are no colleges. While in some mandals the existing government and aided colleges were shut down in the recent past, in others, neither the state government nor private institutions has ventured to set up colleges. For instance, locals’ request for setting up of a college in Chandampet mandal of Nalgonda district has fallen on deaf ears. In Regidi Amadalavalasa in Srikakulam district, the request for a college has been pending for the past three decades.

Lectures say the ‘education boom’ in the state has failed to touch rural mandals. “Though the state has given permission for setting up of new colleges it failed to lay any emphasis on these mandals, where there is a dire need for colleges. This is nothing but a clear lack of planning,” said P Madhusudan Reddy, general secretary, AP Government Junior College Lecturers’ Association. Lecturers blamed the low student turn out for this lopsided development. While there are about 10 lakh students on an average who pass out of SSC every year just about 7.5 to eight lakh join colleges.

Educationists observed that these mandals remained outside the scope of the state’s ‘education boom’ because of their poor “business potential”. “Most of the mandals have remained outside the educational development schemes as people here do not have good earning source. Majority in these mandals are from certain socio-economic backgrounds and are eligible for free or subsidized education. This does not support private management’s business interests,” said P Bhaskar Rao, Institute of Advanced Study in Education. Instead, the government should take initiative to set up colleges in these mandals, he opined.

Though the state has issued a notification permitting setting up of 6,761 private colleges, the officials are systematically closing down government colleges in rural mandals, observers said.

In the past two years, the state has closed down 500 sections in 265 government junior colleges. About 265 government colleges in various mandals where the private to government college ratio is 1:1 will face closure soon, lectures said. Though the state has issued a notification permitting setting up of 6,761 private colleges, the officials are systematically closing down government colleges in rural mandals, observers said

Source : Times of India