TS residential schools in high demand

According to the principal, the residential schools extend a family atmosphere to students in the classroom and hostels as they take admission in Class V

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s view that residential schools have impacted the familial bonds appear misplaced and contrarian to the positive approach of scores of parents who have been reaping benefits by admitting their children in these schools in Telangana.

While the Chief Minister stated that bonding between parents and their wards was weakening as students were admitted into the residential schools at a very young age, several parents have been flocking the Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Societies’ office at Masab Tank seeking admissions for their wards.

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The SC, ST and BC welfare residential educational institutions societies have already completed the seat allotment for Class V, while backlog vacancies in other classes are filling fast, with waitlists being issued.

Those who did not get admission have been reaching out to the officials hoping for a seat. Such is the demand for seats in the residential schools and junior colleges, which have been producing several engineers from IITs, doctors, all-India service officers, and international and national sportspersons every year.

In fact, given the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society’s success, the society that operates schools and colleges had been taken as a case study at Harvard University.

Amidst this success and demand among parents, referring to a survey report, the Chief Minister had said students were being admitted in the residential schools, far from their native villages and parents.

This was leading to weakening of family bonding and relations, and could trigger social issues in future, he had said. The Chief Minister’s statement did not go down well with parents, teachers and officials. Several parents, majority from economically weaker sections, who landed at the societies’ office, were prioritising their children’s future with good education in English medium, along with boarding facility, which the schools offer.

Even some officials of the societies expressed surprise at the Chief Minister’s statement. A principal of a BC Welfare residential school said the Chief Minister’s statement should be seen in the context of private and corporate residential educational institutions, and not the government ones.

According to the principal, the residential schools extend a family atmosphere to students in the classroom and hostels as they take admission in Class V. “For the first two months, there will be no regular classes for Class V students. Teachers will be engaged in building a bond with the students, besides focusing on their reading and writing abilities,” the principal said.

For Class V students, the principal said parents can meet their children once a week and take them home in case of homesickness. As for the older students, parents can come down to the schools to meet their children every second Sunday.

“The residential schools have produced several students, who are in great positions now. This (Chief Minister’s) statement is not correct,” the principal said. TSWREIS and TTWREIS former Secretary RS Praveen Kumar, who has transformed lives of students from marginalised sections via social and tribal welfare residential schools and colleges, termed the Chief Minister’s statement as “immature” and “without any basis”.

“The residential schools have created a huge impact and transformed the lives of marginalised sections,” the BRS leader said, adding that the Chief Minister has to see these schools from the eyes of the poor.