COIMBATORE: Citing that four Panchayat Union Primary Schools (PUPS) do not come under the Karamadai village panchayat union, the district administration has refused to give grants for toilet maintenance from the beginning of this academic year.
The district administration has stopped providing grants for our PUPS of Pillur Dam, Barali, Athikadavu, and Seeliyur for the last nine months as against the 96 schools.
The headmaster of a PUPS who did not wish to be named told TNIE that the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj officials gives toilet maintenance grants of Rs 1,300 (salary of Rs 1,000 for sanitary workers and Rs 300 for toilet maintenance).
However, they have stopped providing funds since last July. Headmasters and teachers contribute Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 from their salary to provide salaries for sanitary workers and toilet maintenance every month. The move to stop providing funds is not acceptable. Rs 1,300 is a small amount.”
He also urged district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar to take immediate steps on this matter. R Kanagaraj, functionary of the Tamil Nadu Primary School Teacher Federation at Karamadai block told TNIE, “The four schools come under village panchayat administration directly.
Due to this four schools had been getting grants from the panchayat union till the last academic year. Due to a misunderstanding by the official that those schools do not come under the panchayat union, they stopped providing funds.”
When asked about it, a top officer from district administration told TNIE that while officers checked the school education departments’ list, the names of these four schools were missing under the Karamadai block. This issue has come to our attention. We have taken steps to provide grants to those schools soon.”