TENKASI: Parents of students studying at the Government High School in Gudalur village near Sivagiri claimed that their children are being forced to study under the shade of trees and school walls due to a shortage in classrooms and a delay in the construction of a sanctioned additional building.
Speaking to TNIE on condition of anonymity, the parents said that the existing school building has been dilapidated and the kitchen had already collapsed, forcing the cook to prepare food in the open. "Around 126 children from classes 6 to 10 study in the school. Students from Gudalur, Ramanathapuram, Mettupatti, Kodangipatti, Velayuthapuram and other nearby hamlets have been depending on the school for decades. However, the school does not have an adequate number of classrooms. Students, particularly those from Class 6, are made to take classes under a tree or in the shade of the walls. This makes the children uncomfortable and causes distraction," said one of the parents.
Esakki Muthu, a youth from Mettupatti, said that Chief Minister M K Stalin, during his visit to Tenkasi on October 29, inaugurated an additional building for the Gudalur school. He said, "In a response to my recent petition, the district educational officer said that only four classrooms were constructed in the additional building and that toilets, compound walls, a kitchen and other basic amenities are yet to be built. The officer also said that students could be shifted only after the entire construction was completed. Then why did the officials make the CM inaugurate the building?"
When contacted, Chief Educational Officer Renuka said she had recently taken charge and would inquire into the matter. Another official said that the panchayat administration was constructing a toilet for the new building. "Soon after the completion of toilet construction, the students will be moved to the new classrooms in January 2026. The four classrooms in the additional building, inaugurated by the CM, were constructed using the NABARD fund," added the official.