CHENNAI/TIRUCHY: The police on Wednesday registered a case of negligence against Tiruvallur chief educational officer (CEO) Karpagam, district educational officer (DEO) Amutha and school headmaster Thyagarajan following the death of a 13-year-old student in a wall collapse at a government school near RK Pet. The district administration also handed over the appointment order for an office assistant post to the victim’s father Sarathkumar, following which the family accepted the body.
Meanwhile, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that the wall involved in the incident was constructed under NABARD funds in 2014-15 at a location that later proved unsafe. “Those responsible for approving and executing the construction must be held accountable. An FIR has been registered and a proper inquiry is underway,” he said.
He noted that Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the victim’s family, while stressing that compensation could not undo the loss. “We will address all legitimate requests of the family and extend continued support to the child’s sibling for education,” Mahesh said.
Responding to BJP leader Annamalai’s criticism of Tamil Nadu’s education system, the minister rejected claims that its success is illusory. “Whether one calls it an illusion or not, the outcomes are proven facts. Our system and results speak for themselves,” he said.
Highlighting student retention measures, he said teachers are mandated to track absentees and bring children back to school without any cut-off period, claiming that school-level dropouts are effectively zero at the elementary level.
He acknowledged that the high school dropout rate stands at 7.7%, significantly lower than the national average of 14.7%, and said the figure should be reduced further.
S Mohit, a Class 7 student of Kondapuram Government High School, died on the spot in the wall collapse on Tuesday afternoon. According to the police, after writing his half-yearly examination, he was having lunch near a dilapidated 3-foot-high railing wall on the school premises. The structure suddenly collapsed, trapping him under the debris.
At the Tiruttani Government Hospital on Wednesday, parents and villagers protested, refusing to accept the body after the postmortem. They demanded a government job for a family member and a hike in the solatium. Local leaders and the revenue divisional officer held negotiations with the family, after which the appointment order was issued to Mohit’s father, a daily wage labourer.
