Naidupeta Incident Sparks Outrage Over Living Conditions in Residential Schools

Tirupati: The poor living conditions in residential schools across the Tirupati district have grabbed public attention after many students fell ill at Naidupeta's Dr B.R. Ambedkar Gurukulam.

On Sunday night, 116 students from the social welfare residential school were rushed to hospital with symptoms of food poisoning. The blame was on the poor quality of food and unhygienic conditions there. A pattern of negligence from the authorities appeared to have puts the health and welfare of underprivileged students at serious risk.

Preliminary investigations showed that old and contaminated food was served to the students, but the roots of the problem went much deeper. Inquiries have uncovered a litany of problems at the Naidupeta school and similar other institutions.

Sources said the Gurukulam school at Naidupeta, housing nearly 520 520 students, has been grappling with severe infrastructure and hygiene issues. The school's purified drinking water system has been non-functional for two years. No one bothered about such matters.

The school is said to be in a state of disrepair, with unclean toilets, unhygienic hostel rooms, broken windows and doors, and rooms that leaked even when there is a drizzle.

A parent described the situation thus: "Students are forced to endure miserable conditions. They are not provided with mosquito nets and blankets. The unhygienic environment has led to frequent outbreaks of diarrhoea and other health issues among the residents."

Poor drainage systems surround the hostel, and the use of firewood instead of gas for cooking posed health and safety risks.

Complaints are that the principal and hostel warden are often not present there and did not properly oversee the facility's operations.

In March last year, former minister M Nagarjuna, instructed the school principal to improve sanitation conditions, but no such efforts followed. In response to Sunday's incident, district collector Venkateswar suspended Principal Dada Peer and Warden Vijaya Bhaskar, citing negligence on their part.

Parents demanded immediate action to improve the living conditions in the residential school. They called for a thorough audit of all such institutions in the district to prevent similar health crises, as also sought increased funding, better monitoring and regular inspections to maintain adequate living standards for the underprivileged students.