Kanchi residents want their schools back
Two schools — one each in Perinjambakkam and Uthiramerur — need to be renovated and reconstructed, as both are in a dilapidated condition with collapsing ceilings and no classrooms. Parents fear for their children’s safety, as one of the school’s classes are held in an e-Sevai centre that doesn’t even have a toilet facility.
The debris of a collapsed ceiling in one of the classrooms at the Government Girl’s Higher Secondary School in Uthiramerur
CHENNAI: The people of Kancheepuram want officials to renovate the schools in Perinjambakkam and Uthiramerur, as their children don’t have a government school to go to.
The primary school in Uthiramerur was damaged four years ago, following which the school building was abandoned. Students are made to sit in the nearby e-sevai centre.
The Government Girl’s Higher Secondary School in Uthiramerur has been functioning since 1969 in the locality. There are nearly 1,500 students in the school but the school building is in such bad shape that it may fall apart anytime.
The debris of a collapsed ceiling in one of the classrooms
Ezhumalai, a parent of one of the students, said “The building is a disaster waiting to happen. The roof might collapse any time. We asked the administration to immediately look into the issue and renovate the building but all our queries and requests have been in vain, as officials don’t seem to care.”
In 2022, the ceiling of many classrooms collapsed three times. Luckily, none of these incidents happened during school hours and so, nobody was injured.
But this year in July, the ceiling in Class 12 collapsed while students were inside the class. One student was injured. “Even after this, the school administration has not taken any steps to renovate or repair the building,” lamented many parents.
Padmavathy Anandan, another parent, said: “After hearing this incident, we’re afraid to send our children there. Our children’s safety is our priority and we will admit them in private schools even though the fees are much higher there.”
In Perinjambakkam near Sriperumbudur, the Government Primary School building has remained unused after it was damaged during the monsoon in 2019. The school building was in a dilapidated condition and villagers had been requesting for a renovation for many years.
During the 2019 rains, one side of the building collapsed. After the incident, the district administration demolished the entire building. Around 50 students were moved to a nearby e-Sevai centre and told that it would be used for schooling temporarily till the building was completed.
However, even after 4 years, the building is not complete, and the students continue to sit in the e-Sevai centre every day. Parents of students claimed that for the past 4 years, villagers have not been willing to send their children to this ‘school’ due to safety reasons. So, new admissions have also stopped.
“Our children do not have a proper toilet facility in the e-Sevai centre. They’re facing a lot of other problems as well. Their education has been affected as it’s not the ideal place for teachers to take a class,” rued many villagers. “Many times we asked the district administration and the local MLA to take steps to complete reconstruction of the building but there was no response from any of them.”
When contacted, the Kancheepuram Chief Educational Officer told DT Next that the renovation works for the Uthiramerur government girl’s school began recently. “Hopefully, it will be completed soon. We’ve also asked the PWD to work without disturbing the students during school hours.”
When asked about the Perinjambakkam school, she said: “It comes under the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department. We’ve instructed them to reconstruct the institution and the amount has also been sanctioned.”
