Tirunelveli district collector Dr R Sukumar speaks to a schoo dropout on Wednesday.

MADURAI: The three dropouts from Nakkaneri village in Radhapuram taluk had an unusual visitor at their doorstep on Wednesday. It was Tirunelveli district collector Dr R Sukumar who asked them why they did not go to school.
As the bewildered boys struggled to find a suitable answer, the parents assured the collector that they would go to school starting Thursday. The collector instructed the SSA staff at the school to ensure that the students resume their studies.
Sukumar was inspecting developmental work in Radhapuram taluk on Wednesday when he stopped at Nakkaneri village. He went to the school and checked the registers to find that three boys dropped out of Class IX. With officials accompanying him, the collector proceeded to the houses of the dropouts to learn what was preventing them from attending school.
Official sources said that the boys were not going to work but were idling at their homes since they were not interested in studies.
The collector counselled them about the importance of education before instructing the parents and education department staff to get the dropouts back to school.
Later, he visited the anganwadi in neighbouring Samoogarangapuram and checked the children. He measured their height and weight to verify that they were healthy and not malnourished.
The collector visited Radhapuram Govt Hr Sec School to inspect Class IX examination. He was accompanied by Radhapuram RDO Krishnakumar and other officials.