TIRUCHY: Lack of infrastructure at educational institutions can be a major impediment to the education of children, and a case in point is the Panchayat Union Middle School in PK Agaram in Lalgudi taluk. According to sources, students of Class 1 to 8 are being accommodated in just four classrooms owing to lack of space. In a select classroom, students of two different classes are made to sit in two separate groups and are being taught by their respective teacher, resembling a group class.
Many a time, teachers are unable to use the blackboard. A verandah on the premises has also been serving as a makeshift classroom. A teacher, on condition of anonymity, said, "Several parents have put their children in a different school this year, which has brought down student strength from 102 last year to 86.
Another teacher said, "The school, which was started in 1952 as an elementary school, was upgraded into a middle school in 1983. Though an additional building was constructed, it developed leaks owing to poor quality of work within 10 years. This weakened the building and, it was demolished after the government ordered to take down weak structures.
The demolition work began in December 2021 and ended in May 2022. However, when we approached an official stressing the need to quickly build a new structure, he said we were the ones who initiated the demolition, and so, we had to wait for the official process to end, which might take time. We have 45 girl students, and the toilets for girls are in a pathetic state.
The school does not have a separate toilet for boys, and the ground near the school is used for open defecation." K Gayathri, chairman of School Management Committee, said, "Students are packed like sardines inside classrooms. The heat is too much and children tire out very fast owing to perspiration. If students and teachers are not provided a proper environment, we cannot expect the school to produce results." A parent, Selvadurai, said,
"Owing to lack of infrastructure, a lot of things are dumped into every single room. Essentials like computers do not get sufficient space inside classes." During a visit, TNIE found that teachers lacked a proper staff room, and there was dearth of space for safekeeping of documents. When asked about approval for the construction of a new building, an education officer said,"We have sought for funds, but allocation takes time." A district-level senior education officer said that though requests for a new building have been submitted, approval comes based on the government's order of priority, which might even take a year.