KANNUR, November 14, 2011
Probe sought into incident of SC-ST students leaving model residential school
Special Correspondent
While Adivasi and Dalit organisations demand government-level
investigation into the alleged incident of 100-odd students at the
Model Residential School (MRS) at Pattuvam here having left the
school, school authorities and government officials say that the
students have gone home citing shortage of drinking water in the
school.
Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGM) president C.K. Janu at a press
conference here on Monday demanded the probe into the alleged
incident, saying that action should be taken against school
authorities who were responsible for the alleged 'exodus' of over 100
boys studying in the MRS at Pattuvam here run by the Scheduled
Caste/Tribe Development Department and funded by the Central
government.
They said that the students had left the school and not reached their
homes, alleging that the school authorities had continuously refused
to provide available facilities in the school to the students, despite
the fact that the school was not facing any paucity of funds and lack
of administrative support. There were also allegations of acts of
retribution against the students in the school who had questioned the
authorities' denial of drinking water and toilet facilities at the
school, she said. The students ran away from the 'prison-like'
atmosphere prevailing in the school, she added.
Ms. Janu also alleged that the major problem in the school was the
school officials who were 'apathetic' to the Adivasis. The AGM and
other Adivasi and Dalit organisations would take up the issue before
the Central government and the National Commission for SC-ST.
The school authorities, when contacted, said that the all the boys who
had left the school citing shortage of drinking water in the school
had reached their homes. When the school authorities had contacted the
parents, the latter told that their children had come home saying the
school was closed because of drinking water scarcity. All the students
who had left the school would return by November 16, the authorities
assured.
The MRS, has 400-odd students including high school and higher
secondary students. While 70 per cent of the seats are reserved for ST
students, 20 per cent of seats are set apart for SC students and 10
per cent for students from other communities. The school also has 50
staff members.
Denying the allegation that the students had been denied drinking
water and toilet facilities, the school authorities said that they
imposed some restriction on the use of water in the school premises as
an austerity measure to prevent wastage of water as the school is
located in an area experiencing acute drinking water scarcity. The
school has one open well and three bore-wells which could ensure water
requirement in the school provided it was used sparingly, they added.
ITDP Assistant Officer K. Prakash, who visited the school in the
morning, told The Hindu that an open well had been dug in a nearby
plot as part of a comprehensive scheme for ensuring drinking water for
the school. The work for constructing some structures above the well
for housing the pump-house would begin on November 15 and the work
would be completed in a month, he said adding that the pipeline for
the water supply had already been laid. He said that district
administration had already asked the Kerala Water Authority here to
make the scheme operational without any delay, Mr. Prakash said.
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