KOCHI: When it comes to setting an example, the students of Govt Girls’ Higher Secondary School at Ernakulam South surpass their elders. Instead of waiting for the authorities to take care of a problem, they took on themselves to find a solution with the help of their teachers. Over 500 students of the school, assisted by their teachers, cleaned the dirt and filth that got deposited in their classroom after the school got inundated with the water from a nearby drain.
“Never did we face such a level of waterlogging,” said Nalinakumari V, principal, Govt Girls’ Higher Secondary School. The heavy rain that lashed the city in the recent waterlogging inundated many areas. “It was a case of urban flooding and we too bore the brunt,” she said. However, long holiday made it impossible for the classrooms to be cleaned and this led to the filth settling in and caking the floors.
“The problem was severe in the classrooms in Higher Secondary, UP and LP sections. These classrooms got flooded since the floor clearance from the ground is negligible,” she said. According to her, the reason behind the flooding is the drain that runs inside the 3.5 acre school compound. “The drain walls aren’t high enough and even a small rain leads to flooding. We have been approaching the Corporation seeking their help in raising the height of the drain,” she said.
Also, the school needs a complete makeover, she added. “We had applied for funds to construct new buildings and were expecting to be considered in the first group of allotments made by KIIFB,” she said. We have come to know that the school is being considered for the `3.45 crore development fund in the second round of allotments, she added.
According to Shibu P Chacko, president, PTA, once the funds are allotted, the school can be revamped completely. “All the problems like inundation and mosquito infestation can be done away permanently,” he said. According to him, the mosquito infestation has led to many teachers and students of the school falling ill with dengue.
“The students have been missing valuable school hours due to all these problems,” he said. Chacko said a coordination committee has been formed comprising the heads of the higher secondary, high school, UP and LP sections along with the MLA and MP. “We will be coming up with a master plan for the development of the school and are planning to submit the same to the government,” he said.