The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Guntur News : Demand hots up for SW hostels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Guntur

Demand hots up for SW hostels

Ramesh Susarla

Possibility of getting a seat in corporate colleges lures students

GUNTUR: The demand for seats in Scheduled Castes (SC) hostels in Guntur district has gone up suddenly during the current academic year, thanks to the Government's initiative to put 30 meritorious students in corporate colleges for Intermediate studies. Guntur district is the first to take the initiative and approach the managements of corporate colleges to get poor and meritorious students from Social Welfare hostels admitted in their institutions at no cost to the students.

The district Collector, G. Jayalakshmi, held a meeting with managements in this regard to get students who secure more than 500 marks admitted in their colleges.

"Many of the friends of the 30 students are seeking admission to the 90 Social Welfare hostels," the Social Welfare Deputy Director, R. Mallikarjuana Rao, told The Hindu .

Hostel at Macherla

There are 10,000 seats in these hostels, but currently 10,200 students are residing in them. There is further demand from parents of poor students from rural areas. A new hostel was recently constructed exclusively for girls at Macherla, and Rs. 90 lakhs was released last year for repair of 39 Government-owned buildings out of the 90.

Special care was being taken to ensure that meritorious students improved their standards at the hostels by employing tutors during evening hours who would clarify their doubts. Construction of 23 new buildings was also taken up last year at an estimated cost of Rs. 78 lakhs and out of that Rs.72 lakhs had already been released, Mr. Rao said.

Repairs taken up

Repairs to buildings at Tulluru, Gurazala, Pedanandipadu, Medikonduru and Vinukonda hostels were taken up using the rice component of the State Government schemes last year. Under the revised estimates for construction of new buildings, Rs. 1.5 crores was required out of which the district Collector had released 15 per cent, he added.

There was, however, no special hostel for Scheduled Tribes (ST) students in Guntur city, which was putting pressure on SW hostels. Textbooks and notebooks were supplied in all hostels through their respective schools, he observed.

Some 40 vacant posts in the Class-IV services were filled recently. Counselling for hostel wardens would be taken up soon to transfer 25 per cent of them, he said.

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