Chennai, Sep 17 (IANS): Tamil Nadu State higher education department is to conduct a detailed survey across the state to assess the number of students dropping out of colleges after the reopening on September 1 following the dip in Covid cases.

A senior bureaucrat who is in the know of things told IANS, "The government is worried after reports surfacing from various colleges that a large number of students have stopped attending classes since the colleges in the state reopened on September 1 after the dip in Covid-19 cases. This is worrisome and the higher education department is planning a detailed and scientific study on the reason for this fall out."

The higher education department has received feedback from various districts of the state that there is a drop in the number of College students and most of the students who are skipping classes are in fact supporting their families by working on farms as well as doing small jobs for survival.

Sudheendran Krishnan, Chairman, Institute of Research and Studies, an education NGO based out of Chennai told IANS, "We did a small study after the colleges reopened in the state from September 1 and found that there is a drop in the number of students arriving in the classes. At least 15 to 20 per cent of students are not attending classes in Colleges of Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu where we conducted our study.

"The situation in the rural areas of the state will be alarming and the higher education department has to conduct a study and get a proper scientific report on the same."

Sources in the Higher education department told IANS that a well-established market study agency is being roped in to undertake the survey which will be carried out in all districts simultaneously. The dates of the survey will be finalised in a couple of days time, the higher education ministry officials said.