ARIYALUR: For the 400-odd students of the government higher secondary school at Keezhakavattankurichi in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district, a toilet break means a visit to the nearby pond or visit to a friend's house in case of a girl student. Sometimes, it's even worse as the students don't relieve themselves, inviting health issues.
The issue is not new, at least with the boys, as there has not been a toilet for them since the school was established about 40 years ago. The girl's toilet is now in a worse condition without proper maintenance.
However, the issue is not just with the existence of toilets but the students and parents complain of lack of compound walls, dilapidated among others.
The school is said to have been 'upgraded' a decade ago, however, grade 6 and 7 students attend their classes under a tiled roof building that was built when the educational institution was started as a high school. During monsoon season, the students are forced to put up with the rainwater seepage.
Thanga Shanmugasundaram, who has submitted petitions with the collectorate and others seeking redressal of the issues said, "My two daughters study at the school. Due to the lack of maintenance of the toilet, many female students either head to their friends or their own house during school hours to attend to nature’s call. Some do not even relieve themselves, raising health concerns."
While there is a separate toilet on campus for the school’s 20-odd teachers, one of them, said the students are not allowed to use it for fear that they would make it unusable.
As for the damaged roof, Shanmugasundaram, who is also a member of the school’s parents-teachers association said, “Some of the tiles may fall anytime, which poses a major threat."
A student said, "We have no choice but to step out of campus to relieve ourselves. Further, there are empty liquor bottles strewn around the premises, which we or the teachers clear daily. It annoys us."
When contacted, a school education department official in the district said, "We have asked the public works department (PWD) to restore the school buildings.” While expressing ignorance on the lack of toilets, the official assured of action after inspection."