Government Primary School in Jawadhu Hills requires repair and reconstruction

The school has around 50 students. Both the buildings in the campus have become weak due to natural elements

The Government Primary School in Odugathur town, which comprises of a group of tribal villages along Jawadhu Hills in Vellore, is in a dilapidated condition and requires reconstruction. Most of the plastering on the roof and walls of the existing two school buildings have peeled off and fallen, putting the students’ lives at riskduring monsoon.

Residents said that the school, located in Kaaluttai tribal hamlet in the town, has been functioning since early 1980s when it got its first building. The school has around 50 students, including girls, mostly from the village and nearby areas. “Both buildings on the campus have become weak. The decision on reconstruction of the school buildings should be taken by the District Collector,” said J. Anbu, headmaster of the school.

At present, students of all classes are allowed to attend sessions in a common hall of one of the buildings. The asbestos-roofed hall is leaky as portions of it are damaged. Food is cooked in the open as a proper noon meal centre is absent at the school. The entire campus does not have a compound wall which results in students wading through waist-deep water during monsoon to attend classes. As a result, parents hesitate to send their wards to school during rainy days.

Residents, who are mostly farmers and small traders, also said that the two open farm wells near the school buildings pose a danger to the students who are always at the risk of falling into them. A compound wall could help prevent such a mishap, they said.  

Officials said that a total of 816 dilapidated school buildings have been identified in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts for demolition by respective District Education department officials after the death of three students due to the collapse of a toilet wall at a government-aided school in Tirunelveli last December. So the demolition of these buildings are under way.

However, the old primary school in Odugathur town has not been included in the list of school buildings to be demolished despite its weak structure. “Along with the PWD engineers, we have inspected the campus to ascertain the durability of the buildings. Necessary repairs will be taken up soon,” said K. Sudhakaran, Block Development Officer (BDO), Odugathur.