Hyderabad: Frustrated by months of putting up with substandard food and little playtime, inmates of the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Gurukul School near Chityala village in Wanaparthy mandal decided to take matters into their own hands. On Tuesday morning, summoning all of their courage, a group of intrepid boys jumped the compound wall of the school and scampered off, determined to make their way to the Wanaparthy collectorate over 5 km away and narrate their ordeals to the collector face-to-face.Their escape, however, was short-lived. Staff members at the school, who quickly realised that some of the boys were missing, found out about their escapade and gave chase. The staff soon caught up with the children, and bundled them back to school in an autorickshaw.Word of the children’s derring-do quickly reached collector Adarsh Surabhi, who wasted no time in heading to the school himself. Accompanied by additional collector Yadaiah, district medical and health officer Dr Sriivasulu, the local tahsildar, and police officials, he sat down with both students and staff to understand what led to the discontent.The students told the collector that they brought their problems to the notice of the school staff several times, only to be brushed away. They then mooted the idea of meeting the collector with the permission of school staff, but even that proposal was shot down, forcing them to scale the wall, the students told the collector.“The daily menu promised to us is not being followed,” one boy said. “We are not being allowed any playtime at all. We are kept studying late into the night,” piped up another.Another major complaint by the students was that their parents would be routinely fed a long list of complaints by the school staff whenever they would come calling.Collector Surabhi urged the school authorities to treat the children with patience and handle their grievances with sensitivity. After hearing the students out, the collector and other officials sat down for a meal with the students. Later, the collector advised the students to utilise the grievance box at the school and drop their complaints in it, assuring them that they would be attended to.
