COIMBATORE: Residents of O-Valley panchayat urged the school education department to upgrade the Aarattuparai high school or Bharathinagar middle school near Gudalur to a higher secondary school, as the students are forced to walk nearly 5 km through the forest and tea plantation to reach nearby higher secondary school in Barwood. The lack of government bus service also adds to their difficulties. A large number of students in Aarattuparai, Tiruvallurvar Nagar, Subash Nagar, Old Police station Bharathi Nagar Selvapuram Marappalam and Sunnambu Palam prefer Gudalur higher secondary school, which is 15km away.
According to sources, even students who are appearing for the class 10 examination in Aarattuparai, have to visit the Barwood school for writing exams since the education department has listed it as the exam centre for students studying in Aarattuparai high school.
Coordinator of O-Valley Makkal Padhukappu Iyakkam, R Ranjith told that to avoid difficulties in reaching Barwood school, most of the students are choosing Gudalur higher secondary school for their studies. “However the number of bus services from Aarattuparai to Gundalur is also limited. If a student misses the 7 am bus, they have to wait till 8.45 or 9 am to get another one.”
S Rangasamy, whose son is studying in class 12 at Gudalur government higher secondary school, said, “The students of Gudalur higher secondary school also have to travel on footboard in the crowded bus in the evening from Gudalur between 5.15 and 5.30 pm and they managed to reach Aarattuparai only at 6.30 pm.” Frequent wild elephant movement is another major problem here. Since the bus is an old one, it often breaks down on the road, he added.
A 40-year-old maxi van driver from Aarattuparai, M Soundarraj, said, “I have studied class 10 at Barwood higher secondary school by walking through the forest. But unlike a few decades ago, the population of wild elephants is now high. The students fear walking through the forest.” He also urged the education department to upgrade the Aarattuparai high school as a higher secondary school.
S Damodaran CEO Nilgiris district told TNIE that he hasn’t received any applications regarding the issue so far. “However, I will visit the school in the coming days to check the feasibility of upgrading the higher secondary school and will ask the Aaruttuparai high school headmaster to give a proposal regarding this,” he said, adding the Parents Teachers Association of the school have to pay `2 lakh to the state government for upgrading the school.