A project by the district administration to renovate the play areas of four government schools in Dharapuram taluk has been completed recently.
Dharapuram Sub-Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar said on Monday that the four schools were Government Higher Secondary School, Sankarandampalayam; Government Middle School, Thalakkarai; Government Middle School, Nallimadam; and Government Middle School, Dharapuram. The project done in collaboration with Anthill Creations, a Bengaluru-based organisation, focused on building playscapes for children and was funded through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund of Power Grid Corporation of India.
Apart from beautification of the play areas of the schools, Mr. Giriyappanavar said that the initiative is also aimed at increasing the enrolment of students in the coming academic years. “We felt that this will be one more reason for the students to come to school,” he told The Hindu .
The works began in January after securing the funding of about ₹10 lakh and getting the approval from District Collector K. Vijayakarthikeyan. Initially scheduled for completion by May, the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown and was finally completed by the first week of October, according to Mr. Giriyappanavar.
The play areas in the schools have unique playing set-ups such as heaving hoops, four-way seesaws and double-tyre climbers.
According to Mayukh Deb, Business Development Manager of Anthill Creations, the playground equipment were constructed out of recycled materials such as used tyres, which are painted in bright colours to make them more attractive for the students. “Many children do not have a proper play area (in schools),” he said. The organisation, founded by graduates of Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, have so far built over 250 play areas across the country and stresses on children’s “right to play,” Mr. Deb said.
R. Ramesh, Tiruppur Chief Educational Officer, said that efforts to secure CSR funds to undertake such projects in more government schools in the district are under way.
