TD demands a hike in mess charges for hostel students

NELLORE: TD Nellore Parliament segment general secretary, Chejerla Venkateswar Reddy, lamented the plight of hostel students because of the government's failure to increase the mess charges in tune with the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

Addressing the media here on Saturday, he alleged that hostel wardens were unable to provide food as per the menu with existing mess charges and that whatever was served to students was filling only half their stomachs.

He said that the mess charges were increased to Rs 1250 from Rs 750 during the TD regime in 2018 and chicken was added to the menu for 3 days a week.

The government also issued a GO to raise the mess charges in April every year based on the prevailing market prices of groceries then, Venkateswar Reddy said.

He also alleged that the YSRC government was not providing bed sheets, uniforms, and cosmetic changes to the hostel students, unlike in the past, while demanding the government to increase mess charges and restore all amenities to them.

Meanwhile, TD Nellore parliament in-charge S.K. Abdul Aziz urged the government to stop the merger of the schools and offer Telugu medium to those keen on pursuing studies in their mother tongue.

In a letter addressed to AP education minister Botsa Sathyanarayana, he said that parents were worried over the merger of schools on the pretext of reforms, and teachers' unions were also opposing the move.

According to the National Education Policy 2020, it is mandatory to provide education in the mother tongue up to class VIII or at least up to class V, and schools should be accessible to all, he said.

Aziz said that the COVID pandemic had already affected teaching standards, and students from lower-income families had faced discrimination because they did not have smartphones, laptop or computers to use in digital classes.

He appealed to the education minister to provide education in the Telugu medium to the students preferring the same.