The Gurukulams, which are schools for children from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), minorities, and backward classes, are mostly being run in rented buildings. However, the government has been delaying the payment of rent, causing the unpaid bills to pile up. Depending on the location, each Gurukulam has to pay between Rs 1.5 lakh to more than Rs 2 lakh in rent every month. In some cases, frustrated building owners have locked up the schools because of the delayed payments.
Officials are trying to manage the situation by convincing the landlords to unlock the buildings. In some places, they have been successful. The government is now aware of the urgency of the situation and is reportedly taking steps to release the necessary funds. Building owners are upset because the rent payments have been delayed for six to nine months, whereas they used to receive payments every two to three months. In Khammam district alone, the total outstanding rent has reached Rs 3.41 crore.
There are four SC Gurukulams in the district, all of which are housed in rented buildings. Each of these schools pays around Rs 2 lakh per month in rent. The rent payments for these schools have not been made for the past seven months, and the total amount due has now reached Rs 56 lakh.
Out of the 16 BC Gurukulams in the district, only two have their own buildings. The other 14 schools are paying rent ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per month. Due to the government’s delay in making these payments, the unpaid rent for these schools has now reached Rs 1.89 crore. Similarly, the eight minority Gurukulams operating in rented buildings are facing the same issue, with around Rs 96 lakh in pending rent payments for the last six months.
