A heap of gravel stones and cement lie in front of the dilapidated primary school section of Government Higher Secondary School in Nonankuppam. Construction workers are carrying loads of cement on their heads towards the classrooms behind the main building. The cement is being dumped inside classrooms with broken windows to raise the floor level while a few other workers are painting the interiors of rooms adjacent to the main building.
After postponing the date of reopening twice, the schools in Puducherry are set to begin classes from June 12. With three days left for the reopening of school, the workers are rushing to complete the renovation work. “After dilly dallying, the renovation work in the primary section of Government Higher Secondary School in Nonankuppam began in May,” says an employee of the school.
Persistent requests from the parents and teachers made Education Minister R. Kamalakannan and local MLA R.K.R. Anantharaman intervene in the matter. They asked the officials concerned to speed up the work. The 100 schoolchildren from pre-primary to class 5 have to make do with four rooms now available till the work gets completed.
Of the nine classrooms, including the office room in the school, two are likely to be demolished while the other seven will be renovated. Apart from the construction and repair work, the school needs drinking water system for the children. “There is no RO facility here. Once the school starts, it would be difficult to provide drinking water to the children if we do not get the supply. We hope once the renovation completes, we will get water for our children,” added a parent of a child studying in the school.
Senior officials in the Directorate of School Education blame funds crunch for the delay in maintenance and repair work. “Despite this, we have managed to complete 60% of the maintenance and repair work in government schools across Puducherry. We have ensured that there is drinking water, septic tank, and electrical works are completed in all the schools,” said the official.
Minister for Education R. Kamalakannan said the delay was due to funds crunch. “Last year, the Chief Minister had allocated ₹17 crore for the maintenance and repair work. We could use ₹9 crore. However, we could not use ₹8 crore through budget estimation, allocation and monitoring system as the revenue reduced. Due to demonetisation, revenue from tax and excise has reduced drastically. However, we require more than ₹20 crore,” he said.
Admissions to continue
A senior officer in the Directorate of School Education said the admissions for the primary and higher secondary schools were likely to continue even after the schools reopen. “At least 90 per cent of admissions in the government schools in Puducherry town are complete. Once the results of Class 10 re-examination are declared, a centralised admission process would take place,” the official said.
The official told that they had started distributing textbooks and notebooks to the schools.
“We have covered at least 60% of the schools. We will complete the task by Monday,” he said.
Class 6 textbooks and uniforms would be distributed to the schools from Friday.
