
COIMBATORE: The delay in completing the construction of four classrooms at a primary school run by Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) located at Lingegoundanpudur near Vadavalli, has forced students to attend classes in a community hall for the last seven months.
CCMC sources said the construction work was suspended two months ago allegedly due to a shortage of funds.
Kumar (name changed), a parent said the four classrooms of the school had become dilapidated and posed danger to children. Following parents’ demands, the corporation approved the construction of four classrooms last year.
“The construction began in June 2024. Classes were held in a corporation community hall which is located 400 metres away from the school. We expected the building would be ready within three months, but it did not happen. The construction work was stopped two months ago. Even preliminary works such as plastering of walls and laying of floor tiles are pending.”
Another parent, K Umarani (name changed) told TNIE that a hundred students from classes I to V are attending the classes inside and outside of the community hall. “The classes are held on a rotation basis. When teachers handle lessons for students of I to III, children of classes IV and V will wait outside the hall,” she said.
She added that teachers are also finding it difficult to handle classes. “Because three classes are held simultaneously in the same space, teachers are unable to concentrate due to the noise from the students. Some even use cotton to plug their ears. The noise disturbs the concentration of students,” she said.
Further, she added that the toilets at the community hall are not hygienic. Due to these issues, some parents shifted their children to the corporation middle school at Vadavalli North.
When TNIE visited the school on Thursday, no one was working at the site. Sources said the workers had gone for other construction work. When asked about it, an officer in the education department of CCMC said he would look into this and steps would be taken to complete the work quickly.