Hundreds of parents to shift their wards from this govt school

CHENNAI: ‘Ennum Ezhuthum’, ‘Sirpi’, ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ and ‘Namma School Foundation’ – these are a series of school education programmes implemented by the current regime to attract more enrolment towards government schools.

However, these schemes seemed to have missed their collective goal in a model government school at Mogappair West.

Mogappair West Model Higher Secondary School lacks even the most basic amenities, and the infrastructure looks like it’s on the verge of collapse. Parents of over 200 students want their wards to leave the school and join elsewhere. Allegedly, some students have already dropped out from the school which underlines the severity of the situation.

Garbage littered in hallways.

This government school caters to children of daily wagers and those from lower income families nearby. Over 650 students are studying from classes 6 to 12. “We’re horrified by the dilapidated condition of the school. It’s affecting our students’ psyche,” said a parent. “There are no proper toilet facilities. Drinking water is not available.”

Several parents have alleged the presence of antisocial elements using the school premises. “Men consume alcohol at night inside the school. The school administration does nothing to prevent, not even appoint a watchman,” lamented another parent. “After Republic Day, students noticed inebriated men inside a classroom. This has become a regular occurrence.”

Piling on parents’ agony, the school management uses students to sweep the school campus and classrooms. “Last week, over 50% of students didn’t go to this school. After we inquired with them, we came to know that the previous day, faculties in the school had forced students to sweep the campus as a punishment,” recalled a parent, “Most of us have decided to enrol our children in other schools. Some don’t have proper guidance, but if the situation continues, students will drop out from the school.”

When DT Next reached out to the school authorities, a senior faculty dismissed all allegations, and accused parents of spreading fake news to defame the reputation of the school.

“After I came to this school, a lot of improvement has happened. There were days where students attended classes under trees and broken benches. Now the situation is different,” the faculty said.

When asked about the students sweeping the school and the photographs making rounds, the teacher claimed it was fake. “A worker was hired to clean the campus. Before I came, students would clean their school with pride, but now it’s seen as harassment. Some parents don’t have a problem with their children cleaning and decorating the school, but a few have issues,” the faculty opined.

Garbage littered in toilets.

The Student Federation of India that heard about students suffering in the school conducted a signature campaign to register their protest against the school authorities. “Officials from the School Education Department are not concerned about government schools’ students. We believe the funds allocated to this school might have been looted. We’ve submitted a complaint about the management to School Education Commissioner and Chief Education Officer. Let’s see what they do,” stated S Anandh, Chennai south secretary, SFI.

The senior School Education Officer told DT Next that the department had received complaints about the school. “We have already inspected the school. Action will be taken based on the inquiry,” the official assured.