Members express outrage over functioning of residential schools run by Social Welfare Department

Members cutting across party lines on Wednesday expressed outrage over the functioning of the Social Welfare Department, headed by Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, saying that students of residential schools and hostels, both pre-matric and post-matric, run by the department have been denied quality education, food, accommodation, and safety, especially for teenage girl students.

Members cutting across party lines on Wednesday expressed outrage over the functioning of the Social Welfare Department, headed by Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, saying that students of residential schools and hostels, both pre-matric and post-matric, run by the department have been denied quality education, food, accommodation, and safety, especially for teenage girl students.

During the question hour in the Legislative Assembly, Congress member Rupakala M. (KGF) explained the shortcomings of residential schools run by the department and said the education of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students had been adversely affected by inadequate teaching staff, toilets, lack of cleanliness, and supply of poor quality of food in hostels. Some of the hostels that have no facilities have been overcrowded and the Deputy Directors of the department have become “food contractors” in hostels.

Instead of spending ₹1,300 crore a year on the construction of community buildings, she urged the Minister to spend more funds on the education of SCs and STs.

Another ruling Congress member, P.M. Narendraswamy, said contract business was widespread in the construction of buildings of the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS). The KRIES schools have only 20% permanent teachers while 80% teaching faculty was outsourced.

He demanded the appointment of women wardens in girls’ hostels. “The Social Welfare Department has failed in managing the educational institutions as a whole,” he claimed.

S. Suresh Kumar (BJP) said a class 8 student at a residential school in Hiriyur in Chitradurga district and a class 7 student at Morarji Desai School in Haveri district had ended their lives. “Children are depressed without a home environment,” he said and urged the government to pay attention to providing counselling to students.

In the absence of Mr. Mahadevappa, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge replied and asked members of both Opposition and ruling parties to pass a resolution to stop the construction of community halls and instead allocate more funds for providing education to students belonging to SCs and STs.