BRS leader P. Sabitha Indra Reddy consoling a student of a residential school at Palamakula in Rangareddy district on Saturday.
HYDERABAD
Students of a residential school at Palamakula in Rangareddy district poured out their woes before BRS leaders Harish Rao and Sabitha Indra Reddy, who visited the school on Saturday.
Speaking after interacting with the students, the BRS legislators said that the Congress Government was unmoved by the plight of students of residential educational institutions even after they took to streets at some places, unable to bear the indifference of the authorities on the conditions there. Some of the students explained that they were being beaten up with sticks when questioned about inferior quality food being offered to them.
When some students pointed out insects in rice, the hostel managers rudely told them to eat the rice by removing the insects. They were also given only one pair of uniform and the second pair was not supplied even two months after the commencement of the academic year, they said.
Mr. Harish Rao said that about 38 students of residential schools died due to fevers, snake, rat and other insect bites, food poisoning and another 500 were hospitalised. Some teachers were found insulting students when they raised questions about food and other facilities.
Demanding the government to provide quality to food to children in the growing age and shift teachers who were misbehaving with students, the BRS leaders said cosmetic charges, power and mess bills were not being released for all residential educational institutions and mess bills for minorities’ residential schools were not being paid since January.
The government was making statements about supplying fine-quality rice but students were being served rice with insects. They alleged that by keeping the Education portfolio with him, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was grossly neglecting the education sector and it was time he reviewed the situation in residential educational institutions and took necessary measures.
A student of a residential school at Palamakula in Rangareddy district showing a scar on her arm to BRS leader Harish Rao on Saturday.
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By Arrangement
Meanwhile, former minister Koppula Eshwar and former MP B. Vinod Kumar alleged that the government was conspiring to kill the residential education system. Students of Palamakula school had taken to the streets after they were forced to have rice with chilli powder instead of any curry and sambar, they said.
Call for govt. clarity
BRS Government had increased the number of residential schools and colleges from a couple of hundreds to 1,022 in nine years and spent ₹1.25 lakh a year on every student of residential educational institutions. They demanded that the government clarify whether it would continue residential schools and colleges or leave them to die a slow death.
