Malkangiri: At least 150 Bonda tribe girl students of Kadamguda Educational Institute Complex have left their hostel, alleging mismanagement in its running.
The residential school at the foothills of Bonda Hills in this district is meant exclusively for the girls belonging to Bonda tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group.
The girls complained that they were not being provided essential items like soaps, oil and food regularly and were rebuked by the teachers, if they complained.
Confirming that 150 Class-VIII students, out of the total 240, had left the hostel February 6, Manga Pinga, project leader of the Bonda Development Organisation, a state government body, said they left without informing the authorities concerned.
“I have visited the hostel and investigated the matter. The girls left the hostel for being scolded by a lady teacher and a cook. The girls’ fault was that they had demanded soap and oil which were being provided to them free of cost by the government,” Pinga said.
Asked whether the girls faced misbehaviour by the teachers, Pinga said no such complaint was filed.
The headmistress of the institution, however, refuted the students’ allegations.
Pinga said he has sent people to convince the girls to return to the hostel. “Some girls have agreed to return tomorrow. I will also go to their village and bring the girls back,” he said.
Stringent action will be taken against those found guilty, said Pinga, who has also convened a meeting of the teachers, guardians and local village heads in this regard. PTI
