SFI activists stage dharna at Kothagudem collectorate

Around 2,000 students took out a protest rally from the local Government Junior College to the collector's office staged a dharna shouting slogans.

Kothagudem: Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists staged a dharna at the district collectorate here on Friday demanding the State government to address the issues in the field of education.

Around 2,000 students took out a protest rally from the local Government Junior College to the collector’s office staged a dharna shouting slogans. SFI district secretary Burra Veerabhadram addressing the gathering said a Vidyarthi Poru Garjana Jatha was held from Aug 25 to Sep 2.

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The dharna was staged to highlight problems identified during the nine day jatha and for their redress. Nowhere in the district tenders for food provision for KGBVs were issued, menu was not followed in 60 percent ashram and 80 percent ashram schools have no functioning water plants, he said.

There was no proper maintenance of toilets, the contractors were supplying poor quality vegetables, chicken and eggs. Textbooks were not supplied to intermediate students, BC Gurukuls do not have their own buildings and there was no proper infrastructure in the rented buildings, Veerabhadram complained.

He wanted the government to increase menu charges for the students studying in the welfare hostels. Rs 5000 for the pre-matric students, Rs 10,000 for the post-matric students and mid-day meal scheme in the Government Junior Colleges.

A Tribal University should be established in the district and around 20,000 vacant teaching posts across the State have to be filled up and pending scholarship and fee reimbursement of Rs 3800 crores has to be released, the SFI leader said.

The problems identified by the jatha team would be presented in the form of a booklet to the Collector and ITDA PO, he added. SFI district president G Pavan, State Committee member Sandra Bhupender, district vice president B Abhimanyu and others took part in the protest.