For the 400-odd students of the government higher secondary school at Keezhakavattankurichi in the Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, a toilet break means a visit to the nearby pond and for girls, to their friend’s house. This unfortunate situation invites health issues, stated a report from The New Indian Express.
The situation is not new for boys either as there has not been a toilet for them since the school was established about 40 years ago. Complaining about the condition of girls, students and parents said that it has been lying in a state of disuse for several years due to a lack of maintenance. The issues don’t end there as the aggrieved parties point to a lack of proper compound walls and dilapidated classrooms, among others, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
Despite the school being upgraded about a decade ago, students of Classes VI and VII attend classes from the same tiled roof building that came up when the institution began as a high school. As a result of the damage the roof has incurred, students complain of having to also put up with rainwater seepage during class hours in the monsoon season.
Thanga Shanmugasundaram, who has submitted petitions with the collectorate and others seeking redressal of the issues, said, "My two daughters study at the school. Due to the lack of maintenance of the toilet, many female students either head to their friends' or their own home during school hours to attend nature's call. Some do not even relieve themselves, raising health concerns."
Separate toilet
While there is a separate toilet on campus for the school’s 20-odd teachers, one of them said the students are not allowed to use it out of fear that they would make it unusable. Speaking about the damaged roof, Shanmugasundaram, who is also a member of the school’s parents-teachers association said, “Some of the tiles may fall anytime, which is a big risk."
Sharing their plight, a student of the school said, "We have no choice but to step out of campus to relieve ourselves. Further, there are empty liquor bottles strewn around the premises, which we or the teachers clear daily. It annoys us."
When contacted, a school education department official in the district said, "We have asked the public works department (PWD) to restore the school buildings.” While expressing ignorance about the lack of toilets, the official assured of action after inspection, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
