Drop-outs have always been a major concern for government schools. More so with the arrival of corporate schools even in small towns. This has resulted in many government teachers worried over either merger or closure of their schools owing to lack of student strength.
But bucking the trend, and standing against the onslaught is the Chandrampalem Zilla Parishad High School, in Chinagadili mandal of Visakhapatnam district. Enrolment into this faraway school is increasing every year. In fact, with a student strenght of 3718, it topped the list of government schools in Andhra Pradesh for the 2018-19 academic year. In comparison, many important schools in Chittoor, Krishna, Srikakulam have strength of around 2,500 students, according to sources.
What makes parents queue up to put their wards in this school? First, quality education.
A record 87% pass result in the SSC Examination. Plus, As many as 10 students had bagged seats in the prestigious IIIT Nuziveedu and Srikakulam campuses in the last few years. Second, focus on the overall devlopment of the students, not just on academics but on games, sports, dance, computer education, etc.
Interestingly, many parents of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and a few parts of Odisha also put their kids in classes 6 to 10. “My first son who completed 10th class here could get seat in IIIT. That is why I put my second son Vijaykumar also here. The school has become a blessing in disquise for poor families worried about their kids’ future,” said V.Geeta, a parent from Ponduru, Srikakulam district.
“My father has taken a house in Chandrampalem only for my sake after we had come to Visakhapatnam from Kakinada. I am very happy with the education and other activities here,” said S. Keerthi a class 10 student.
Demand-driven expansion
Headmaster M.Raja Babu and Headmistress A.Jayaprada said that all the 85 teachers were motivated to work as a team to enhance the image of the school. “With the huge demand for admissions in the month of August too, we are constructing new buildings in the premises spreading in 5.5 acres of land. We are thankful to the government and non-governmental organisations which have been extending their whole-hearted support for the improvement of standards here,” they added.
Many organisations provided around ₹2 crore worth funds for the construction of new blocks. With their support, e-learning, video-conference facility, library and other facilities were created.
A retired police officer T.S.R.Prasad extended his support for the improvement of sports infrastructure in the school. Students have bagged medals and prizes in the State and national-level competitions. For instance, J. Murthy Naidu bagged the gold medal in the 50-60 kg national boxing cahmpionship four years ago.
Similary, Gowthami got a gold medal in National Taekwando Championships in Madhya Pradesh in 2014 and A. Pavan Kiran won the gold medal in National Carrom Championship.
