The recently released National Sample Survey data on education suggest that the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have a long way to go when compared to other states in the country.
While the Chief Ministers of the two states take pride in Hyderabad's place in the Information Technology sector, the NSS report states that the number of students per thousand who can operate a computer in the 14-29 age group is the lowest in AP and TS compared to all South Indian and some North Indian states. It is 463 per 1000 in AP and 490 in Telangana compared to 810 in Kerala, 588 in Tamil Nadu and 552 in Karnataka.
The overall literacy rate in AP and TS is the second lowest in the country at 63 per cent for both states, next to Bihar (60 per cent), and lower than the all India average of 69 per cent. It was also found in the survey that 58.9 per cent in AP and 67.2 per cent in TS, who had dropped out of school, belonged to families involved in agriculture.
AP and TS also need to promote medical education. As per the NSS report, the figure for the number of students per thousand who are pursuing professional/technical courses, is among the lowest in AP (34) and Telangana (30), compared to states like Maharashtra (86), Kerala (156) and Punjab (100). However, number of students per thousand studying engineering is the highest in AP (579) and Telangana (599).
Although as per NSS data the expenditure a student incurs to study in government institutions in both the states is among the lowest in the country at all levels of education, ironically the number of students studying in private unaided institutions in AP and TS are the highest.
As per the survey data, the major reasons students gave for preferring private institutions over government was because private institutions offered "better environment of learning" and that they had "tried for government institution but could not get admission".
There were also some parameters in which AP and Telangana fared well. AP is among the top five states with the number of students per thousand having Internet connections (335), and it also tops in the number of students per thousand pursuing technical courses (288), and Telangana stands fourth at 185.
