Hyderabad: The Telangana Payment of Salaries and Pension and Removal of Disqualifications (Amendment) Bill was enacted into legislation on the fourth day of the winter session of the assembly on Wednesday, December 18.
Providing infrastructure, and facilities in Gurukuls and Govt schools
A short discussion was held on the “providing of infrastructure facilities in Gurukulams and government schools” on Wednesday evening, where 13 MLAs spoke extensively about the condition of educational institutions in their constituencies and across the state.
Women and child welfare minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) briefed the house about the steps being taken by the state government to improve the infrastructure and facilities in the Gurukul residential schools across the state.
MIM’s demand for audit of Gurukuls since 2014
AIMIM floor leader, among several issues raised by him, requested the state government to conduct an audit of all the Gurukuls since 2014, to which Seethakka responded positively, and assured that based on the audit if any irregularities were found, recovery of money would also be done.
Ugly spat between Ponnam and Gangula
A war of words erupted between BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Karimnagar MLA Gangula Kamalakar, when the latter started talking about residential schools being neglected under the ruling dispensation.
Ponnam Prabhakar rose and spoke about the condition of welfare residential schools and hostels during 10 years of the BRS government. Personal comments were made by the two legislators against one another, which had nothing to do with education or the topic under discussion.
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Issues raised by Harish Rao
Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao spoke elaborately about what the BRS government has done to improve school infrastructure in 10 years, and how the Congress government could build upon that.
Among the main issues raised by him were the recurring incidents of children in gurukuls dying due to snake bites, rat bites, electricity shock, food poisoning and other reasons. He claimed that 54 children died since the Congress came to power.
Oil spill and snake bite
He pointed out that even as the session was in progress, on Wednesday a student from the eighth class from Sarvel Gurukul, which was the first to be established by former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao in 1971, had burnt both his legs, when he was made to cook food, and hot oil spilt over both his legs.
He also mentioned the case of a Gurukul school in Peddapur in Korutla, where there have been four cases of snake bites in the past, and two children died. He said that even on Wednesday, another student belonging to the fifth class named Akhil, was bitten by a snake in the same school.
He spoke about how hundreds of students were getting hospitalised due to food poisoning across the state.
Delegating work to additional collectors
He suggested making district collectors responsible for such cases and also advised the state government to make two additional collectors in every district inspect the Gurukul hostels regularly so that such incidents didn’t recur.
He said that the delay in payment of mess bills was resulting in the quality of food being served getting affected.
Harish’s ‘Ande Ka Funda’
He claimed that the bills for the supply of eggs weren’t paid for six months, and due to the state government giving only Rs 5 per egg, and its price in the market being Rs 7, the children were being fed eggs twice a week instead of thrice in welfare hostels.
He also claimed that the bills for mid-day meals in the schools have been pending for two months, wages for chefs and helpers were pending for months, and basic items like uniforms, sweaters, plates, spoons, glasses, cooking equipment were not being made available in many gurukuls.
Request to continue breakfast scheme in schools and colleges
He urged the state government to continue the breakfast scheme in schools introduced by the BRS government and also to expand it to cover government junior colleges, as the year-on-year enrollment in those colleges was on the decline.
Regularisation of SSA employees and CRTs in ITDAs
He urged the state government to regularise 18,000 employees of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) who have been protesting since December 9 and also to regularise CRTs working in schools in the jurisdiction of integrated tribal development agencies (ITDAs), who were also on an indefinite strike seeking regularisation of their services.
He raised the issue of contract and guest lecturers in government colleges not receiving their salaries for the past six months, and to promptly pay mid-day meal workers and increase their pay to Rs 10,000 per month as being demanded by them.
Claims of 1,913 government schools shut down in one year
He highlighted that in the current academic year, a total of 1,913 government schools were shut down, which included 1,831 primary, 49 upper primary, and 33 high schools.
Seethakka’s clarifications
Clarifying the Sarvel Gurukul oil spill incident, Seethakka said that the student was standing in the line holding Ragi malt, when he spilt it on his legs, for which an inquiry would be ordered. She also said that Leelavathi, a Gurukul student admitted to NIMS, was discharged, and despite taking prompt steps and monitoring the health of Shailaja, another student admitted to the hospital, unfortunately, she passed away.
She said that it wasn’t proper on the part of any of the members to politicise the deaths of children, and said that these cases were not the beginning, but would certainly have to end with the support and suggestions of all members.
She stated that as per the data she had, there were 26-27 deaths due to various reasons in Gurukuls in one year.
She also mentioned that the increase of mess charges by 40% and cosmetic charges by 200% for students in welfare hostels would go a long way in addressing certain quality issues. She clarified that Rs 55 crore has been released for payment of egg bills.
As against Gangula Kamalakar’s claim that there were only 203 gurukuls when BRS came to power, which increased to 819 in 10 years of BRS government, Seethakka said that as per the information she had, there were 704 residential schools before 2014.
She pointed out that 655 Gurukul schools still didn’t have their buildings, and they were being run in locations far away from where they were originally designated to be constructed, in rented premises.
She reminded that Rs 657.90 crore has been spent on the provision of basic facilities in government schools through “Amma Adarsha Pathashala Committees” and the state government has also recruited 10,006 teachers in government schools, 10,225 teachers in Gurukuls, and promoted 21,419 teachers, in addition to upgrading the posts of 8,630 language pandits and 1,848 physical education teachers.
She said that the state government was also constructing 54 Young India Integrated Residential Schools in the present financial year, for which Rs 2,500 crore has been allocated in the budget.
The assembly was adjourned till 10 am on Thursday.
