Central scheme for poor leaves students in pitiable state

Vishakapatnam: Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath should hang his head in shame, many said, after video clips in which girl students of the Kasturbha Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Lingarajupalem under S Rayavaram mandal of Anakapalli district described their plight went viral on social media on Wednesday.

In the video, they explained how difficult it was to take a bath in the open by using bed-sheets as walls due to lack of proper bathing facilities for them. They said nothing was being taught at the school and they would return home by seeking their TCs.

Officials as also the former MLA and TD leader Vangalapudi Anita rushed to the hostel to take stock of the situation there and interacted with the students for more than two hours.

Anita said it was unbelievable that the girl students hailing from remote villages and from the poorer sections of the society were being subjected to such ill-treatment.

She said the residential school under KGBV scheme, having the strength of 216 students, had been temporarily started in a cyclone shelter with inadequate facilities. “The students sleep on the floor in their classrooms by removing the benches and restoring them in the morning every day.

“Bathrooms are in a bad shape and the water pumping motor stopped working recently. While taking bath, the students are using bed-sheets for cover as the building has no compound wall,’’ Anita said.

She said an old woman was put on watcher duty during the night but she was seldom seen around.

PD-DRDA Lakshmipati and BC welfare officer Rajeswari Kondri did not respond to calls from the media. Their assistants said they were busy attending meetings.

The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme was launched by the central government in August, 2004 for setting up residential schools at upper primary level for girls from the SC, ST, OBC and minorities in rural and interior areas. These institutions are said to be making a mockery of education.