Kurnool: Lack of staff, students forced to cook in school

Kurnool: Parents and people are furious after seeing the video making rounds on social media, in which hostel students were seen working in kitchen and assisting cooks. The incident took place at AP Tribal Welfare Residential School for Girls in Alur. People are questioning as to who will take the responsibility if any unfortunate incident takes place. They demanded stringent action on the people, who made the students to work in kitchen.

According to information, around 320 students from Class 3rd to 10th are studying in the school-cum-hostel. There are only two cooks to cook food including breakfast on a daily wage basis. One of the two cooks did not attend to duty, hence students had to assist in food preparation. It is surprising to know that 3rd and 4th class students were assisting the cook and they were seen dropping eggs in boiling water.

According to a source, there is not enough staff for cooking. Minimum six to seven staff and three cooks are needed to prepare breakfast and food for 100 students. But here there are only two cooks, that too, engaged on a daily wage basis for Rs 150 each. They are managing with insufficient cooks for one year or so. The irony is that there is not enough teaching staff also, no adequate rooms to accommodate students and no ANM.

It should be recalled that the school in 2016 and 2017 was in limelight with students making a record in mapping and identifying the names of the countries within minutes. Students also created another record in English grammar. This is the plight of such school, which lacks teaching and cooking staff besides rooms. The 320 students are forced to share 10 rooms. Another notable point is that no regular principal is posted to the school till date.

In-charge Principal Peddenti Jammanna, speaking to The Hans India on Tuesday, said that he has taken the issue to the notice of higher authorities and removed the negligent cook as per their directions. He informed that there is no regular principal for one year.

The government had posted Sri Lakshmi one year ago but she did not report to duties and they have taken the issue to the notice of the higher authorities, he added.