VISAKHAPATNAM: Expressing displeasure over the long-hour study timings and educational institutions constantly badgering the students to fetch more marks and good ranks in the exams, HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao asked the managements of private junior colleges to buck the trend immediately, with a rider that special timings be allotted for games, sports and other recreation activities.
With nine cases of suicide by students in various educational institutions in the State being registered in this month, the HRD Minister conducted surprise inspections of many junior colleges in the city, including Sri Chaitanya and Narayana educational institutions on Saturday. The Minister interacted with students and did a reality check on the classes held, number of students, hostel rooms, kitchen, bathrooms, food and drinking water facility available in the colleges and hostels.
He also enquired about the break timings, the gap between the study hours, the possibility of games and sports, time to speak to their parents, playgrounds and whether or not the students were getting enough rest. Sources said that several students complained about lack of facilities, non-allocation of time for games and sports, and longer study hours.
“The students are assigned with longer study hours from morning till the late night, making them stressful. The college managements must not put pressure on students for marks and grades and allot enough time for sleeping, games and sports,” Ganta said, after the inspection. “Regional Inspection Officers (RIOs) of Board of Intermediate Education are studying the issues once again and we will conduct a State-level meet with officials of Intermediate education, officials from Sri Chaitanya and Narayana Colleges in Vijayawada on October 16,” he said.
YSRC students’ wing calls for corporate colleges bandh
Vijayawada: Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of suicides in the corporate junior colleges and inaction of the State government to control them, the YSRC student wing has called for State-wide corporate colleges bandh on October 16. In a press release, YSRC student organisation president Salam Babu found fault with the State government for adopting spectators’ role even as several college students of junior colleges taking the extreme step, unable to overcome the pressure exerted in their respective colleges by the management in pursuit of fame. In corporate colleges, mostly belonging to Narayana and Sri Chaitanya educational institutes, 38 suicides were reported in last two years, but no action was taken. The relation between Ganta Srinivas Rao and another minister P Narayana has resulted in the inaction, he alleged.