Schools in AP list out their grievances for FM

Manchal, (Andhra Pradesh): Andhra Pradesh is one of the few urban states that has the lowest literacy rate in the country.

Only about 40 per cent of its people are literate. And just about half of these people can read and write.

The facilities provided by the state to get more children to school are so poor that they become deterrents.

The walls are all these children see 24 hours a day, 12 months a year. Its one of 1400 residential welfare hostels set up by the Andhra Pradesh welfare department for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.

But the facilities are minimal. In this hostel, for example, 111 children are squeezed into this small space.

Hostel warden Vani Sarla says, “The building is very small. These children are squeezed.”

There's not much spent on maintenance - an average of Rs 15 to Rs 20 per child every day. This includes three square meals, toiletries and all other personal expenses.

The government is supposed to provide beds and tables but all these children get is thin mattress and a trunk to store their belongings.

The daily schedule - up early, sweep and swap the floor, wash their clothes and clean the hostel.

They get down to studies after almost after a half-day of work. But there's no electricity in these hostels through the day, so they get to study for just an hour or two before the sun goes down.

S Rajita, standard 8th student says, “Its a problem when it gets dark in the classroom and we it gets dark and no ground to play.”

“Our classes are very close to each other. We get disturbed. There is a lot of water problem it will be nice if the building is completed, “ says another student.

The cold floor of this less than 1000 square feet space serves as the classroom bench and a playground for these children in the day and doubles up as their bed at night.

Government officals here refuse to come on record about the conditions of these hostels. All they say is that there is a proposal to privatise the management of these hostels. But as of now it’s only a proposal.

The current government spend is around Rs 5500 on a child each year as against the Rs 7000 spent in most other states.

Perhaps a reason why Andhra Pradesh has among the lowest literacy rates among urban Indian states.

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