Lack of snacks, odd timing hit summer schools

Children displaying the clay idols that they made at a summer school at Togarpally village in Medak district. (right) A girl with a handmade paper cap at a school in Nandi Kandi village.– PHOTOS: Mohd Arif

Summer schools, being run in 184 school complexes across the district to teach weak students, have a noble purpose. Students from classes I to V are taught Mathematics, English and Telugu in these schools, with an aim to improve their grades.

Each complex has 15 to 18 schools and about 10 summer schools have been started for even Urdu medium students for the first time.

As per the rough estimates, about 9,200 students can be taught in 184 schools complexes. But the authorities have kept the target of 50 students for each complex. One complex has at least 10 primary schools and about 800 students can be taught at once. But the decision to teach only 50 students has raised many doubts. On the other hand, those who are attending these summer classes are deprived of breakfast/snacks. These children are mostly from backward families that cannot afford to give them breakfast in the morning as the classes start at 9.30. Many students just have tea and go to attend classes.

It’s become a cause for concern as Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs), who teach at these schools, are unable to hold classes with children being hungry even at the beginning of the class. Also, many students have stopped attending classes for this reason.

At some places, philanthropists are chipping in to provide breakfast for students everyday. But that’s just a partial solution to the problem. The State government has failed do anything in this regard.

What is preventing many children from attending classes is also the timing. The previous year, classes were held between 7 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. after which the children could go home and eat breakfast. That was, more or less, a convenient time for them. But now, classes are held between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

“We requested the authorities to change the timing and we also brought to their notice the problem of not providing them snacks. But nothing came out of it,” said an officer, on condition of anonymity.

Many students, who are from backward families, have stopped attending summer classes as they do not get snacks in the morning