Raw deal for visually-impaired students
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE SURKHET: With the number of students exceeding the capacity of its hostel, the administration of Sikhar Higher Secondary School is facing trouble in feeding the visually-challenged students.
The hostel can accommodate only 10 while there are 17 students these days.
The Surkhet District Education Office provides expenses for 10 students only.
The visually impaired students in the hostel informed they were deprived of quality food for want of budget.
The hostel source said a non-government organisation — called FNC — also provides 1,800 rupees to a visually-impaired student.
Teacher Tek Bahadur Oli lamented that the hostel had no other income sources besides the DEO’s grant and the NGO assistance. Asked why the school was taking in more students than its capacity, Oli made it clear that there were no other institutions for visually-disabled students in the district.
He said soaring market price has rubbed salt into their wounds.
The teacher went on to add that the guardians and the school administration were in no position to extend financial support.
A visually-impaired student, Yogendra Shahi, said sometimes the hostel students had no way but to eat rice without curry owing to budget crunch.
“The government should allocate more funds for the visually-challenged,” said Shahi.
He urged all the stakeholders to assist them.
Meanwhile, the DEO informed that the scholarship provision is up to grade X, but the fund shortage has been triggered by the fact that higher secondary level students are also staying in the hostel. On his part, account coordinator of special education programme in the DEO, Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai, admitted that the problem arose as the market price was higher than the scholarship provided by the government.
Bhattarai further revealed that the plight was made worse, with the students staying in the hostel for 12 months, though DEO provides scholarship only for 10 months.
He opined that the guardians should extend assistance to the school.
The hostel can accommodate only 10 while there are 17 students these days.
The Surkhet District Education Office provides expenses for 10 students only.
The visually impaired students in the hostel informed they were deprived of quality food for want of budget.
The hostel source said a non-government organisation — called FNC — also provides 1,800 rupees to a visually-impaired student.
Teacher Tek Bahadur Oli lamented that the hostel had no other income sources besides the DEO’s grant and the NGO assistance. Asked why the school was taking in more students than its capacity, Oli made it clear that there were no other institutions for visually-disabled students in the district.
He said soaring market price has rubbed salt into their wounds.
The teacher went on to add that the guardians and the school administration were in no position to extend financial support.
A visually-impaired student, Yogendra Shahi, said sometimes the hostel students had no way but to eat rice without curry owing to budget crunch.
“The government should allocate more funds for the visually-challenged,” said Shahi.
He urged all the stakeholders to assist them.
Meanwhile, the DEO informed that the scholarship provision is up to grade X, but the fund shortage has been triggered by the fact that higher secondary level students are also staying in the hostel. On his part, account coordinator of special education programme in the DEO, Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai, admitted that the problem arose as the market price was higher than the scholarship provided by the government.
Bhattarai further revealed that the plight was made worse, with the students staying in the hostel for 12 months, though DEO provides scholarship only for 10 months.
He opined that the guardians should extend assistance to the school.
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