ERODE: About 500 students have been forced to cram for space in just five classrooms as the opening of a building, constructed to accommodate an expanding government residential school in Burgur, is delayed. The construction was completed about 10 years ago. Though more buildings were built over the years by spending huge amounts of money, students couldn't reap the benefits, residents rued.
Burgur panchayat in Anthiyur union with a population of over 2,500 tribals is located on the western ghats. For the benefit of children in Burgur, Oosimalai, Thattakarai, Solaganai, Kuttaiyur, Thamaraikarai, Velampatti and other tribal villages, the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare started a primary school in Burgur in 1961. It was upgraded as a middle school in 1993, high school in 2009 and higher secondary school in 2019. The school has 80 students studying in classes 1 to 5 and 420 in classes 6 to 12.
To accommodate the increasing number of students and to provide them with better facilities, the government started construction of a new building for the school in 2009. It was completed in 2011. Three more classrooms were built in 2016 and another two with a laboratory in 2019. Then chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated the building with a laboratory in 2019. However, it never came to utility.
"The students use the lab facility in the new building occasionally. The building has started disintegrating as it has been 10 years since its construction and has not been in use," said Pari, a resident.
The main obstacle to opening the building is said to be its location near a waterway making the quality of the building questionable. Nataraj from Sudar, an NGO, said, "The roads leading to the new school building are slushy all the time, and there is no proper facility to reach it. This could be the reason why the building is not opened yet." He urged the government to check the quality of the building and take fitting action.
Though the school has over 200 tribal students, hostel facilities are provided to only 50 male students. "The strength should be increased, and a separate hostel be built for girl students. The number of teachers in the tribal schools should also be increased corresponding to the students' strength," said VP Gunasekaran of Tamil Nadu Pazhankudi Makkal Sangam.
Officials from Tribal Welfare Department said, during rainy seasons, the students would find it difficult to access the school building, which is located one km away from the current school premises, as the road would be slushy. They said the building was constructed by Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO). "We will take steps to bring the building to use soon," they added.