PILIBHIT: The sudden dip in student attendance in government-run primary and upper-primary schools in Pilibhit district has left basic education department officials worried. Several officials who spoke with TOI felt that the sudden drop of around 30% can be attributed to the engagement of children in paddy transplantation work which is being carried out in full swing across the district.Concerned over the development, district magistrate Akhilesh Kumar Mishra has started conducting surprise inspections at schools, especially those situated in remote and rural areas. In addition, the DM has asked basic education officials to motivate parents and guardians of students to not disturb their academic calendar.According to district coordinator of basic education, Rakesh Patel, Pilibhit has around 114,000 students enrolled in 1,231 primary and 58,000 students in upper-primary schools. Talking to TOI, the DM said, “We are making our best efforts to bring back children to schools and striving to find out the exact reason behind the sudden drop in attendance. Whether students have sought admissions in private schools or they have been engaged in paddy transplantation by their parents is a matter that requires some research,” he said.“Apart from this, we are also focusing on improving the standard of education in state-run primary and upper-primary schools. For this, I am personally reviewing the teaching skills and knowledge of staff,” the DM said.Mishra added that during an inspection at Saidpur primary school on Friday, he suspended one teacher who had wrongly marked a student’s paper. “It was a serious issue. An inquiry has been ordered against the erring teacher and further action will be taken based on its report.”Meanwhile, the upper primary schools in Kainch and Barha villages under Marauri block have shown an attendance of over 90% “The admissions in these schools are in progress at present and the final figure on enrolled students will be available only in the first week of September,” said Rakesh Patel.

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