Lack of basic amenities including toilets, proper classrooms, playground and unclean drinking water is taking the sheen off a corporation high school in Anuppanadi, Tamil Nadu. As per the school register, this school, comprising both elementary (Kindergarten to Class V) and high school sections (Class VI to X) in a single campus, has a strength of 350 and 150 students in elementary and high school respectively.
Speaking to TNIE, Hariharan, a parent, said, "There were separate toilets for both elementary and high school students. In a bid to construct new toilets, the toilets of the elementary students were demolished. They have now built new toilets only for high school students using CSR funds. The elementary students with the majority strength are forced to wait for a long time during break hours. Furthermore, the works for an under-construction toilet has been suspended recently as there are no sufficient funds."
The woes of the children do not end there. There are only three classrooms for 350 elementary school children and only two classrooms for high school students. "The students are made to sit in classrooms without proper light or ventilation. The elementary students are also made to sit in rooms with asbestos roofs and rainwater seeping in," said Kalaivani, another parent. She added that no SOPs were followed in the light of COVID as many students are seated in one small classroom.
Girl students of high school, seeking anonymity, said they prefer staying home during their menstruation cycle as the school does not have an incinerator or a proper waste disposal system. They further added the RO drinking water plant, installed at the cost of Rs 1.5 lakh, is dysfunctional.
The compound wall behind the school has also been demolished recently. "As there is no compound wall, the rainwater enters the playground leaving no place for children to play. The school has also become a ground for anti-social activities. It is easy to find empty alcohol bottles in the half-constructed toilets. We also learnt that the office room at the school was recently burgled," parents complained. However, the teachers denied these complaints.
According to the school teachers, both elementary and high schools receive funds separately under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. However, most of the funds are used for office maintenance works like paying newspaper bills or buying new equipment. A teacher working in the high school said, "The school management committee should be functioning efficiently to ensure infrastructure development of the schools. In the absence of this, schools are left to solely depend on CSR funds, as there are no local body funds now."
Responding to the complaints, officials from the education department of the corporation said proposals have been submitted seeking funds for infrastructure development. "The engineering department officials have also assured us that the compound walls will be rebuilt. It will soon be taken care of," said an official.
