Bengaluru: With a whopping 2,023 villages reportedly not having produced a single graduate so far, the state government has undertaken a three-day campaign to ascertain facts and bring dropouts back to colleges.
A study commissioned by the directorate of collegiate education (DCE) had revealed that 2,023 villages, out of the total of 27,530 villages in the state, were yet to see a youngster completing his graduation. The revelation, which comes at a time when the government has been spending over Rs 3,000 crore per annum on higher education, has raised questions on the judicious use of funds.
According to the study, the population of these zero-graduate villages range from one person to 2,900 people. The districts which have the highest number of villages with zero-graduates are: Kolar (211 villages), Tumakuru (190 villages), Uttara Kannada (166), Hassan (169), Raichur (144), Mysuru (113), Shivamogga (98), Chikkaballapura (90), Belgaum (68) and Bengaluru Rural (66).
The findings of the study have baffled policy makers. “Youngsters discontinuing studies in hilly tracts and most backward regions is understandable, but what is not fathomable is the fact there are so many villages from Kolar and Tumakuru that have not seen a single graduate despite their proximity 0 the literacy rate in the state had touched 75.70 per cent. We need to ensure that educated youngsters from these villages complete their graduation.”
India Tribune, as an English weekly newspaper, was launched in 1977 in Chicago by its publisher Prashant Shah with a lofty ideal to serve the Asian Indian community in the USA. Over the years, it has grown with all vigor, and now it is being published in three editions – Chicago, New York and Atlanta. India Tribune, a journal of its kind for the family in the USA, has been a household name for many Indians for over three decades with each issue commanding a readership of over 125,000.
