Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Chakunta village of Choppadandi, about 15 km from the district headquarters, has only 10 students and eight qualified teachers to teach them.
During a visit to the school on Saturday, it was found that six teachers, including the headmaster, were absent and only two school assistants were running the show.
They had all the seven students, present on Saturday, in one room and asked them to read whatever they wanted to.
The 10 students are studying in different classes — one in Class 10, four in Class 6, three in Class 8, one in Class 7 and another in Class 9.
Chakunta ZPHS is not the only school in the district with more teachers and fewer students.
The number of students has fallen to single digit this year in many government schools. The teachers in the Chakunta school attribute the fall in numbers to the advent of model school and KGBV in the Choppadandi mandal.
Besides, majority of students from the village go to the private schools in Karimnagar town in school buses, the teachers said.
Absent teachers
The students, who are studying in the ZPHS, said that they were forced to study in the school as they could not get admission in the model and KGBV schools and added that they were ready to leave the school next academic year as there was no strength in the school and the classes were not being held properly because of absenteeism of the teachers.
When the issue was bought to the notice of Choppadandi MEO Raja Swamy, he said that there are several reasons for the fall in admissions into the government schools. One of the major reasons being the advent of private English medium schools.
School buses
He said that the ZPHS Chakunta was not having English medium and the parents preferred to join their wards in the private schools, which were plying school buses and the village was very close to Karimnagar town.
Expressing concern over declining admissions in government schools, TRTF district president M. Prathap Reddy urged the government to introduce the concept of semi-residential schools to ensure that the children would come back to the government schools. He also said that the parents preferring to send their children to private schools as they want their wards remain in the school from morning 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. so that they could work in the fields.