Facing flak for the poor condition and functioning of the 3,500 hostels and residential schools in the State, the Social Welfare Department has formed a committee to revamp them.
Formed around two months ago, the committee will visit private hostels run by different organisations in Karnataka and other States, study them and recommend standard operating procedures to be implemented here, said Priyank Kharge, Social Welfare Minister.
Though the State spends the highest amount per student in the country — close to ₹1,500 per student a month — the facilities at the hostels and residential schools are far from adequate. “I have also written to all the legislators to give their opinion in writing on the issue by October 20,” he said, and added that the committee was likely to submit its recommendations within two months.
The department has also taken into cognisance that nearly 800 hostels are functioning on rented premises. “We should saturate the rented business by two years,” he said, and added that the new hostels will be constructed in areas where there is a huge demand. “Earlier, government had suggested that hostels be constructed in each hobli. The thinking is now different; we see a lot of demand for hostels in Uttara Kannada and Hyderabad Karnataka regions,” he said.
