DHARMAPURI: With only one government teacher deputed for 15 students at the Alakattu panchayat union primary school (PUPS), a temporary teacher had to take over classes, as the former was on leave on Monday and Tuesday.
The Alakattu tribal village is located in Vattuvanahalli panchayat of Pennagaram block in Dharmapuri district. TNIE visited the village on Tuesday and found that the school has 15 students, one government teacher B Nawaz and School Management Committee appointed teacher M Basavaraj. However, on Monday and Tuesday, as Nawaz went on leave, no substitute was deputed.
Basavaraj told TNIE, “Nawaz took leave on Monday and allegedly went to Pennagaram to get books and bags for two Class 1 students. He will meet Pennagaram Block Education Officer (BEO) K Paramasivan on Tuesday. Moreover, banana has not been given to students this academic year since June. Caste Hindu students studying in the school will not eat eggs under the noon meal programme, instead of that they were given banana, but that has not been provided.”
“The school building was constructed in 2004 and now during rainy season there is leakage inside the classroom. A toilet was constructed in 2023-24 at the cost of Rs 7.80 lakh by the rural development department but it is meant for teachers and not students,” he said.
Basavaraj added that, four students — three girls and a boy student — passed Class 5 in the PUPS and they joined Class 6 in different schools in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts, and among the four, all three girl students are now dropouts.
Similarly, the anganwadi is functioning out of the house of an anganwadi helper B Madevi for over a decade without any rent from the department. She has also not been maintaining food samples as is mandated.
Under the noon meal programme, there is no sufficient vegetable and rice available for students. Noon meal organisers are providing less funds to buy vegetables, for which we have travel to the foothills near the town area, which is 10 km away,” said a relative of cooking assistant V Gowramma.
When TNIE contacted the Pennagaram BEO, he said that teacher Nawaz informed him that was taking two days of casual leave on Monday morning, contradicting Basavaraj’s version of events. However, no teachers have been appointed as deputation. The BEO added that he is unaware that bananas were not being supplied to students for many months.
Dharmapuri Chief Education Officer Jothi Chandra, said that she would inquire with the school education department officials to look into the matter. Chandra contacted a Block Resource Teacher Educator of Alakattu who told her that teachers appointed to the region are often irregular due to the school being in a hilly area. Collector V Saravanan assured necessary action after inquiry.