Poor amenities in government high school at Ettimadai in Coimbatore
Expressing concern over poor amenities at Government High School at Kandhe Gounden Chavadi, Ettimadai village, Madukkarai Block in Coimbatore district, parents have voiced their concern to Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati on Monday.
Submitting a petition at the grievances redress meeting, they claimed that school, established in 1964 close to the Kerala border, was upgraded to a high school from elementary six years ago, but had not seen significant improvements. Among their grievances, parents pointed out there are two toilets for nearly 200 students, both lacking proper doors and latches. They added that teachers and students are often forced to share these facilities.
According to a member of the School Management Committee (SMC): “With only ten rooms available, overcrowding is a persistent, forcing some classes to be conducted under trees. Students are seated for lessons on either plastic chairs or the floor, and made to leave their footwear outside the classrooms. Moreover, teachers divide classrooms to accommodate the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme on one side and take lessons on the othe side. Some teach English and Tamil-medium lessons for different classes simultaneously in one room.”
A parent of a Class VI student of the school said, “The absence of a proper playground limits physical activities, compounded by frequent rain that render the ground unusable. Dilapidated classrooms force children to seek shelter under the roof of the school’s stage.”
R. Kesavakumar, District Education Officer (Secondary), Pollachi, said that many schools upgraded to high school status since 2016 are short of proper infrastructure due to lack of funding from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). “An inspection of the campus will be done on September 12. We plan to compile a report on schools facing similar conditions in Coimbatore district,” he added.
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