Activists of Rashtra Dalita Sena (RDS) organised a one-day hunger strike at the Sub–Collector’s Office to protest against the highhandedness of the corporate junior colleges.
Taking part in the hunger strike, the secretary of the RDS, D. Prem Kumar, said that the corporate colleges promote their courses such as long-term IIT and EAMCET along with Intermediate when the students are in their tenth standard. “They lure the students by guaranteeing them a seat in one of the IIT or engineering colleges and once the students join they are subjected to torture,” he said.
He further added, “Apart from putting them through a rigorous grind that exceeds 12 hours a day and without a weekly holiday they also charge exorbitant fees that ranges from Rs. 1 to 3 lakhs, depending whether the student is a day scholar or a residential student.”
The RDS member contended that parents are responsible for all the misdoings, as they blindly believe in the words of the college management and pressurise the students to take up the grind.
Mr. Prem Kumar also pointed out that none of the corporate colleges including the so-called premier ones such as Sri Chaitanya or Narayana follow the rules as prescribed by the government.
“Many of these colleges operate from commercial apartments and do not have proper sanitation facility and laboratories. Most the colleges do not have playgrounds, which is mandatory as per the government guidelines. Many of the parents take loans to admit their wards in these colleges. Moreover, the college management insult the students if they are not able to cope up with the rigorous schedule and this leads to depression. Many students have committed suicide, unable to bear humiliation,” he said.
