MANGALORE: Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are known as land of intelligent and enterprising people with high literacy rates. But contradicting facts are presented by a survey conducted by a reputed institute which reveals that the situation is not the same as far as high school and degree education is concerned.
A survey conducted by the Tata Socio-Science Institute of Mumbai here in the year 2008 has revealed that though the district registered 90 per cent literacy rate, there has been a significant rise in the number of those who stop their education after high school education.
The survey says only nine out of every 100 persons in both the districts were graduates, while the rest have bade good bye to education half way through. In Dakshina Kannada 31 per cent of students and in Udupi 33 per cent students have dropped out of schools from fifth, sixth and seventh standards. Similarly in eighth, ninth and tenth standards, 26 and 17 per cent of students have been drop outs in DK and Udupi districts respectively.
The main reason cited for this is the privatization of the higher education and the high fees charged by private institutions making education inaccessible to the middle and poor classes of the society.
Of the 157 degree colleges in the two districts, only 30 are government colleges. Of the over 30 medical, engineering and dental colleges, only one college is a government institution all revealing that higher education was a distant dream for the lower income groups.
There is also a feeling that the improvement in the quality of education imparted in government institutions should improve to be on par with the private institutions.
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