Vijayawada: The difficulties of students studying in corporate residential colleges are being highlighted thanks to the inspections being carried out by of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) chairperson Ganta Hymavathi.
Corporate colleges have long been accused of serving insufficient food and that the quality of breakfast, lunch and dinner was poor. Students do not getting snacks, it was stated, and they were forced to purchase eatables from the canteens which is a costly affair.
The hostel rooms and classrooms are overrun by mosquitoes and cockroaches, and several students have fallen sick due to these disease-carrying vectors. In such dismal conditions, the students who had paid a hefty fee were expected to put in long hours and bring laurels to the institutions.
The surprise inspections of Ms Hymavathi of the Narayana and Chaitanya college branches in Vijayawada brought to the fore many issues that the students were facing. She spoke to students in every class and noted down their problems.
The students told Ms Hymavathi that they wanted some time to themselves and to pursue leisure activities. They were feeling lonely, and could get to talk to their friends only during the lunch breaks. The rest of the time they were made to study. The students urged Ms Hymavathi to provide at least a holiday and a few play hours.
Ms Hymavathi noted that the colleges were not maintaining the suggestions box, meetings register, food menu and toll-free complaint numbers. No institution was implementing child rights. She ordered to the colleges to put all these in place and report to the commission.
Speaking to this newspaper, regional intermediate officer C. Satya Narayana Reddy said students had complained about the quality of food in one college. In another college, students sought a half-an-hour relaxation in study hours from 6 am to 6.30 am. The college was told to accommodate the request.
Students who came from other states to study in corporate schools in Vijayawada by paying lakhs of rupees are said to be facing more problems with their menu. At the time of admission, the managements assure the parents that they serve roti and sabji but this is not followed in practice. Therefore, 80 per cent of students from other states, especially from the north, were finding it difficult to have a decent meal which is a major violation of child rights. This is an area the commission and child welfare committees have to concentrate on, sources said.
Speaking to this newspaper, Krishna district CWC chairman, B.V.S. Kumar said most corporate schools and colleges were housed in apartments and did not have playgrounds or indoor games, denying the students access to relaxation.
This is leading to a lot of stress on children, which is one of the reasons for some students committing suicide especially in corporate schools.
