TN farmer and railway worker donate land worth Rs 25 lakh to save 109-year-old government school

The government could not construct new buildings due to unavailability of space and this had been affecting around 750 students studying from Class 6 to 12
Image for representational purpose only (Pic: Express)
Image for representational purpose only (Pic: Express)

A farmer and railway worker have donated their lands to a 109-year-old government school near Ulundurpet in Tamil Nadu.

After a long struggle, the school was upgraded to higher secondary around three years ago, says Thambidurai of Kunnathur village. However, it lacked classrooms. So, villagers collected some money and set up temporary classrooms for the benefit of students who had been struggling to attend classed on open ground.

But the government could not construct new buildings due to unavailability of space and this had been affecting around 750 students studying from Class 6 to 12.

In this scenario, the villagers approached people who had been owning lands near the school and that was when V Ezhumalai and K Sadaiyan accepted to give their lands for the extension of the school premises.

"I had decided to sell my eight-cent land near the school to meet the expenses for my daughter's marriage, but when the villagers explained me about the importance of constructing buildings for the school, I accepted to grant it," says Ezhumalai, a farmer. He took the decision despite facing economic issues.

Another donor, K Sadaiyan, works as a dock worker in Mumbai and has donated his 17-cent land to the school. "Though my sons opposed my decision, I was firm in it. So, I made the arrangements for the donation without the knowledge of my sons," he says.

The land value in the area is around Rs 1 lakh a cent. But the two persons gave the lands without taking a single rupee, says Arumugam, another villager. On Monday, the lands were transferred to the district chief education officer at Thiruvennainallur sub-registrar office.

A teacher said 81 students are currently studying in Class 12 and 110 studied in Class 11. This year, they are expecting the admission of over 100 students. The staff said they would now request the government to construct a new building and expressed hope that they would get approval from the same soon.

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