As many as 38 girls recently left Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), Shillai, in Sirmaur district after Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) called for interview for the post of a hostel warden.
The KGBV hostel is being operated by SSA in collaboration with the existing Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) in Shillai. The post of warden in the hostel, which has capacity of 50 girls, has been temporarily filled for the past six months and now, when call interview for permanent warden came into light, the girls have objected the same and left the hostel.
Sources told Hindustan Times that the warden, who has been deputed at KGBV, had misguided the students as she wanted to continue as the hostel warden, while the KGBV guidelines has a provision of full time warden.
However, Shillai KGBV has remained in controversy for many reasons. Earlier, the hostel had appointed a male cook, while the guidelines read that the school can not have any male member as the scheme is meant for girls.
Shillai GSSS principal Deep Chand said, "I have received letters regarding the girls leaving the hostel, but their parents are not aware of the incident. Girls have not complained about anything."
{{/usCountry}}Shillai GSSS principal Deep Chand said, "I have received letters regarding the girls leaving the hostel, but their parents are not aware of the incident. Girls have not complained about anything."
{{/usCountry}}SSA state project director Ghanshyam Chand said he had sought complete report about the incident. "We have the information that 38 girls have left the hostel, but have not received any complaint from them," he said. "I have asked the district project office to submit a report on the issue," he told HT.
KGBV scheme was launched by the union government in 2004 for setting up residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging predominantly to SC, ST, OBC categories and minorities in difficult areas. The scheme of the KGBV ran as a separate scheme, but in 2007 it merged with the SSA programme as a separate component of that programme.
KGBV has three type of component, one where full fledge school with 100 girls student will be established, second has a capacity of 50 girls in its hostel, while third, under which Himahcal is covered, a hostel will be constructed with some existing school in areas with hard life.
Presently, there are 10 KGBV in the state, in which 449 girls have been enrolled. KGBV Shillai has 35 SC, 7 OBC and 8 BPL girls enrolled.