BRS calls deaths of 36 students in residential schools ‘government murders’

Says residential education system was deliberately neglected thus allowing it to collapse on its own

Hyderabad: Voicing grave concern over the deteriorating conditions in residential schools in the State, BRS MLAs K Sanjay and Padi Kaushik Reddy said on Saturday that the image of educational institutions was no longer the same in the State.

Addressing a news conference at Telangana Bhavan, they said that 36 students died in government hostels and residential schools while 500 students were hospitalised and treated for food poisoning during the last seven months of the Congress rule.

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Calling the student deaths as murders by the government, Sanjay said six students were affected by food poisoning in his own constituency and two of them had died. One of the students succumbed in Peddapur village on Friday. The state of affairs in the residential welfare schools called for special attention. People had started losing faith in the residential institutions which were developed and nurtured so well during the BRS regime.

As many as 1,200 Gurukuls were set up during the BRS rule and their functioning was closely monitored by the administration. But there is no evidence of such a system functioning today. Students taken ill were not getting the attention of the administration. Hostels at places were infested with snakes and rats and students had become vulnerable.

The residential education system was deliberately neglected thus allowing it to collapse on its own. The residential schools, which had delivered better results compared to institutions in other sectors, were still in demand. Over one lakh students had applied for the 3,000 seats notified recently.

Sanjay pointed out that the state of affairs in the government hospitals was also no better. People were looking to private hospitals to save their lives as government hospitals at several places were facing shortage of doctors.

The institutional deliveries in the government hospitals also had come down as the KCR Kits distribution was stopped. The government should continue the distribution of the kits, if needed by removing the name of the former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao if needed, they stressed.

Earlier, seeking a thorough probe into the Revanth Reddy’s younger brother’s deal with Swachh Bio, the MLAs questioned the State’s investment agreement with a 16-day-old company. As the IT Minister, KT Rama Rao had brought significant investments to the State and enhanced its employment potential.