To streamline the functioning of government-run hostels in the district and to ensure the safety of students there, the zilla panchayat has begun to implement a slew of measures that include the introduction of a biometric attendance system and the installation of surveillance cameras.
It may be mentioned here that questions were raised on the safety of the students at government-run hostels in the district, following a series of incidents. These included the death of a Class 9 student who fell from the second floor of the building of Kittur Channamma Residential School in Ambragoppa, a girl attempting suicide in Post-metric Backward Classes and Minorities Hostel in Shikaripur town and the arrest of a warden of Post-Metric Backward Classes and Minorities Hostel for Boys in Shivamogga on the charge of trying to sexually harass a girl. All the incidents were reported in September.
Benefits
There are 233 government-run hostels in the district, including 141 hostels run by the Department of Backward Classes and Minorities and 92 hostels run by the Department of Social Welfare. K. Rakesh Kumar, CEO, zilla panchayat told The Hindu, in the wake of these incidents, a meeting of the senior officials of Social Welfare, Backward Classes and Minorities, Public Instruction and Police departments was held recently in which it was decided to make the biometric attendance mandatory for staff members as well as students in hostels. With the introduction of such a system, the movement of students can be monitored in a proper manner and the misuse of grocery can be prevented. Biometric attendance devices have been provided to all the hostels, he said.
Health check-ups
Henceforth, health check-up camps will be held in the hostels once in two months. Observations by doctors on the health condition of each student will be documented.
The hostel authorities will have to send a report in this regard to the zilla panchayat. Meetings with parents will be held once in three months, he said.
Quality of food
In the wake of complaints related to the quality of food served in the hostels, Mr. Kumar said that the hostel staff have been directed to display a chart detailing each day’s menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food should be prepared as per the information displayed in the chart, he said.
There have also been complaints of miscreants trespassing the hostel premises and creating nuisance. To prevent this, it has been planned to construct compound walls around hostel buildings. In addition, surveillance cameras will be installed at all girls’ hostels and the police will initiate stern action against those who enter the premises without taking permission of the authorities.
Funding
The engineering section of zilla panchayat will soon prepare an estimate on the cost that will be incurred to construct compound walls and for installation of surveillance cameras after which a proposal will be submitted to the State government seeking the necessary funds, he said.
