Malapparamba school getting ready

Fund mobilisation for the reconstruction of the Malaparamba School will be stepped up, the Protection Committee of the Aided Upper Primary School, Malapparamba, has decided.

The committee convenor M. Jayadeep told The Hindu that a decision had been taken during a public convention on Sunday to put pressure on the State government to review its decision permitting the school manager to close down the Malapparamba school.

“A team comprising A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, and M.K. Raghavan, MP, among others will meet Chief Minister Oommen Chandy this week itself,” said advocate Jayadeep.

The committee estimated around Rs.18.5 lakh as the expected cost for the reconstruction of the school, which was allegedly demolished by a group of criminals on behalf of its manager on the night of April 11.

Donation

Different organisations including the Kerala School Teachers Association, Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), and the Kerala Chamber of Commerce promised to generously donate for the reconstruction of the school.

“Rs.8 lakh has already been promised by different organisations including the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) for the cause,” said the committee chairman Bhasi Malapparamba.

According to Mr. Malapparamba, a team of representatives including Corporation Mayor A.K. Premajam and District Congress Committee(DCC) president K.C. Abu among other political party leaders, would take out a collection drive in the city and its suburbs next week to collect funds for the reconstruction of the school.

“The exact date for the collection will be decided soon,” he said.

Work completed

About 60 per cent of the reconstruction work of the school had been completed, the protection committee members said.

“The school’s structures have been completed. Now the preset iron framework for the roof needs to be placed on it before its tiled,” said R.K. Iravil, a teacher from the school.

The school would go ahead with the admissions to the next academic year before it opened in June.

By end of May

“We expect the works including the purchase of the basic facilities such as benches and desks for the classrooms will be complete before the end of May,” said Mr. Malapparamba.

Various individuals representing different cultural and political organisations including the DYFI, Students Federation of India (SFI), and Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA); Mr. Pradeepkumar, Mr. Abu, and Ms. Premajam attended the public convention.