Students’ suicides: Government to inspect all colleges in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA: “Soon, a helpline will be launched for the students across the State though which they can share any problem that they are facing in their institutions,” said HRD Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao, while addressing a press conference on the recent suicides of Intermediate students across the State on Friday. 
He further said that the Education department is going to hold a State-level meeting with the managements of Intermediate junior colleges across the State on October 16 along with D Chakrapani and Rathna Kumari, members of the committee constituted for preventing suicides.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Srinivas Rao said, “It is sad that young students, who have a bright future ahead, are ending their lives for various reasons. Even the Chief Minister is serious on the issue. We will take serious action against those colleges which don’t follow the Intermediate board rules and put unnecessary pressure on the students. For preventing suicides in Intermediate colleges, we have constituted a committee and we found that 158 colleges across the State are not following the guidelines and conducting classes from 7 am to 10 pm without any entertainment or physical activity.”

He further said that criminal charges will be filed against such colleges. “Soon, we will inspect all the colleges in the 13 districts of the State and take immediate action against those which are not following the rules. 

We are also thinking of implementing grade system instead of having ranks in colleges,” added Rao.
The HRD Minister said that the department is pursuing to withdraw the inclusion of inter weightage in EAMCET examination. “We will not spare any institution, be it Narayana or Sri Chaitanya. We will take stern action against those managements failing to adhere to the board rules,” he added.