KOCHI: The death of 10-year-old Shehla Sherin after she was bitten by a snake in her classroom in a government school at Sultan Bathery in Wayanad has turned the spotlight on the infrastructural facilities in both the government and aided schools in the state.
Contrary to general perception, many schools - government and aided - are functioning in old buildings dating back to the pre-1959 era.
According to VK Ajith Kumar, president, Kerala Pradesh School Teachers’ Association (KPSTA), school buildings in the state are classified as pre and post-KER (Kerala Education Rules).
“It should be noted that a majority of schools in many districts, especially in the Malabar region, function in pre-KER buildings,” he said. That means these buildings are 100, 70 or 50-years-old, he added.
“As these buildings have been built using local building materials, they have an expiry date,” said Kumar.
“The bricks that have been used in the construction were made out of mud and mortar used to bind them was limestone paste. These buildings have heritage value, no doubt. But they are not suitable to run schools,” he added.
According to him, schools, especially the aided ones, hesitate to go in for a new building even if issues related to the safety of the buildings are raised by parents.
“Excuses can be many. Some of the common ones are unavailability of funds and the lack of space to construct new buildings,” he said.
He cited an issue he had to face as a parent.
“Another thing that places the students in danger is the decision of the school authorities to conduct classes in old building itself or in a makeshift structure,” said Kumar.
According to him, his son, a class IX, had to sit in a classroom with no windows or facility for light while the school was being reconstructed.
“Also, the students were made to shift classes four times after complaints regarding poor lighting and other problems poured in,” he said.
Civic body to check fitness
According to Sreedevi S, a teacher, if a school building develops damage, the persons to be blamed are the school authorities and the engineer who issued fitness certificate to the institution.
“It is mandatory for schools to obtain a fitness certificate at the beginning of the academic year. However, in the case of schools that function out of pre-KER buildings, the managements obtain certificates through devious means,” she said.
“In some schools, if an inspection is conducted it can be seen that though a new building has been constructed the old ones are still left as such.
The excuse: They have heritage value. But a look at the structures will present a different picture,” she said. According to her, the teachers can’t wash their hands off any problems associated with their classroom or the school.
“If any infrastructural issue comes to their notice, they should either notify it to the PTA or take action if the issue is minor,” she added.
According to her, the number of schools functioning without proper fitness test is high in the state.