There is no dearth of hostels in Kodagu district. However, hostels lack students owing to various reasons.
The hostels have good facilities in the district. However, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, many students are travelling from their houses.
Even the parents of students are waiting for the Covid-19 cases to reduce before sending their children to hostels.
Owing to Covid-19, the hostels had remained closed for the last two years. Now, the schools and colleges have reopened and the admissions to hostels and residential schools have also commenced.
There are four pre-matric boys hostels, three pre-metric girls hostels and one post-matric girl's hostel coming under the social welfare department and five hostels coming under backward classes and minority department in Kushalnagar.
"Only students attending schools and colleges from far away villages are seeking admission to the hostels. The government has introduced free bus passes for the students. Accordingly, the admission for hostels is poor," stated sources.
In the pre-matric hostel in Kushalnagar, only 10 fresh students have availed of admission. The hostel can accommodate 75 students.
Hostel in-charge Madhu said, "Awareness has been created on the safety measures being taken in hostels. We are hopeful that more than 60 students will gain admission."
There are five hostels coming under the social welfare department in Ponnampet and Virajpet taluks. There are three ashrama schools, two residential schools and nine hostels coming under the ITDP department.
In addition, there is a Morarji Desai Residential School As well. Owing to a shortage of students, a hostel belonging to the social welfare department was closed down at Mayamudi, 10 years ago.
The hostels supply free food, clothes, books, stationery for the students and have a reading room, library and 24 hours hot water supply.
Though a hostel in Balele can accommodate 50 students, for the last few years only half of the capacity is being utilized.
The in-charges of hostels have been asking the school teachers to motivate the children to stay in hostels.
There are 22 students in the pre-matric girls' hostel at Kithur Rani Chennamma Circle in Shanivarasanthe.
According to teachers, hostels are facing a shortage of students. The students are being convinced to stay in hostels rather than commute daily to their villages. But, many parents are not interested in sending their children to hostels.
ITDP officer Gurushanthappa said that the hostels have all the facilities. There are hostels at Nittur, Maroor, Ashrama School, Ekalavya Residential School in Balugodu and Morarji Desai School in Virajpet.
Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of students in hostels at Kutta, Thithimathi, Hudikeri, Palibetta, Karmadu and Srimangala have declined. The students are being motivated to come back to hostels, he said.
Somwarpet social welfare department assistant director Balakrishna Rai said that if the student strength increases, then steps can be taken to upgrade the hostels as well.
Ravi, an officer of Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation, said that owing to Covid-19 fears, students are not showing interest in staying in hostels.