Crumbling classrooms worry officials

They endanger the lives of children in these schools

May 29, 2014 11:43 am | Updated 11:43 am IST - TIRUVARUR:

Old school buildings in panchayat unions lying in disuse for a prolonged period will be demolished and new buildings constructed wherever needed and possible.

Demolition of these old buildings is necessitated because of their weak structures as those posed a serious threat to the safety of children. Although these buildings have been in disuse, it is difficult to prevent pupils from entering the dilapidated areas. Most schools have an arch and an old building in the foreground, built during the late Kamaraj era. Also, several classrooms built under the ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ (SSA) about one-and-a-half decades are in a dilapidated condition. Their structural stability has been a big question mark, an Education Department official says.

A majority of 543 panchayat union primary schools and 208 panchayat union middle schools account for at least one old building built about six decades ago. The weakest structures could be found in many interior villages in Tiruthuraipoondi and Muthupettai area.

The district administration has taken in right earnest a firm decision to demolish the old buildings which have been in disuse. “Block-level committees each comprising the block development officer, union engineer, and additional educational officer have been formed to identify the old and weak buildings,” says S. Natarajan, District Collector, who earlier inspected schools at a number of villages, including Vilamal, Pulivalam, Naranamangalam, Mangudi, Tennavarayanallur, Boothamangalacheri, Tiruneypper, Kunniyur, Pinnavasal, Komal, and Thuraikudi villages. The survey would be completed within a week’s time.

“We have planned to construct new buildings wherever possible at the old sites,” says the source. The survey would take stock of other infrastructure such as availability of toilets, number of toilet blocks, black boards, benches, and drinking water facility. Compound would be constructed wherever needed.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.