67 students flee government social welfare hostel due to alleged harassment, poor food quality and academic stress in Palnadu district

The police officials bring all the students back and counselled them; they also urge the school management to address the genuine grievances of the students

Frustrated by alleged harassment by teachers and complaining of poor quality of food served to them, as many as 67 students from the hostel attached to the government social welfare school at Vankayalapadu village in Yadlapadu mandal of Palnadu district, fled their school campus by jumping over the compound wall.

Some of the teachers, who noticed the students running away, informed the police, who helped bring back 32 of them, while 35 others were said to have gone towards Kondaveedu Fort area. They were later found near Tummalapalem and brought back to the school.

Narsaraopet DSP K. Nageswara Rao interacted with the students and asked them the reason for resorting to such an extreme act. The students alleged harassment by some of the teachers and said that they were made to clean the bathrooms. They said the food served to them was substandard and also accused the authorities of collecting money from them on some pretext or the other. They said they were overburdened with academic work and exams were being conducted without any gap.

They also took exception to some of the teachers using tobacco products like khaini and gutka in the classrooms.

The police personnel assured the students that they would take up their complaints with the school management and counselled them against any repeated attempt to leave the school premises.

Later, the police personnel also warned the school management against asking students to clean the bathrooms and take into consideration their genuine grievances.

Published - September 24, 2024 09:08 pm IST