HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka instructed the education department officials to coordinate with respective collectors to acquire sites for integrated residential school buildings in various constituencies. He said the designs for the residential schools should also be readied.
On Monday, Bhatti held a review meeting with BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, officials of SC, ST, BC and other minority residential schools at the Secretariat. He stated the required construction measures of 120 residential schools in 30 areas with an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore, should be taken during this academic year.
Directing the officials to acquire 15-25 acres in rural and 10-15 acres in urban areas for integrated residential schools, the minister said the government has set a target to complete the construction within eight months. He added the admissions in SC, ST, BC and minority residential schools should be completed 100 per cent during this academic year.
Cots for every student
It had been decided that all students in government hostels and residential schools would be provided cots. Acting on the decision, Bhatti directed the officials to submit a list detailing the number of cots, beds, and bedsheets available for the students in all 1,029 SC, ST, BC and minority residential schools.
He further instructed that all amenities like toilets, bathrooms, running water, electricity, doors and windows for hostel rooms and mosquito mesh for windows should be provided without fail. “A checklist should be prepared and all these facilities should be displayed in every hostel by August 29. The rental amount for owners of residential school buildings would be released as per the norms,” he said.
The minister positively responded to Ponnam’s appeal for an immediate release of the second instalment of overseas scholarships to students studying abroad and asked the officials to give the list of pending overseas scholarships.
“It is the responsibility of officials to get the overseas scholarships released within the stipulated period every year so that students studying abroad would not face hardships,” he said and announced that this year overseas scholarships will be sanctioned to 800 BC students, 500 students each among SC, ST and minorities.
Review on Peddapur school
Bhatti recently visited the Peddapur Residential School in Metpally mandal in Jagityal district and asked residential schools secretary Ramanakumar about the steps taken to improve facilities there and said that cots and beds should be provided to the students.
“No student in that school should sleep on the floor and if the present accommodation was insufficient, alternative arrangements should be made. The school grounds should be levelled and washrooms should be constructed within the reach of students,” he suggested. He also sought proposals for the construction of new buildings.