Primary class students learn under tree at Devarishi Kuppam school

The new building is kept locked for lack of a compound wall

A patch under the shade of an Indian beech tree has been serving as the classroom for the last few years for primary class students at the Government High School at Devarishi Kuppam, a village at the foot of the Mahadeva hillock, near Katpadi in Vellore.

A new building for the school has been constructed 1.5 km away. But it remains shut for lack of a compound wall. Keeping in mind the safety of students, especially girls, the school authorities have been conducting classes for students of Std. I-X on the existing campus that has just six small classrooms.

“We have converted teachers’ rooms into classrooms for the higher class students because they have to appear for the board examinations. We have the basic facilities, but lack in space,” says Mahendran, headmaster in-charge.

Mr. Mahendran is in charge of two government schools. He spends most of his time at the Government High School at neighbouring Machanur, where he is the full-time headmaster. The Machanur school has more students.

Built in 1933, the Devarishi Kuppam school remained a primary school for many decades. It was upgraded as a middle school two decades ago. As the school is the lone government educational institution in a five-km radius, it was upgraded further as a high school in 2018.

Subsequently, residents gave free land, away from the existing campus, for the construction of a building for Std. VI-X. With the money allotted under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Public Works Department built the new campus at a cost of ₹1.72 crore. It has over 15 classrooms and science laboratories. But it lacks a compound wall because of the size of the area and the cost involved.

Officials say the new campus, surrounded by eucalyptus and teak trees, needs a compound wall to ensure the safety of students and to monitor their movement on the campus. With no funds available to erect a compound wall, the building, which includes a noon meal centre built at a cost of ₹4.52 lakh in 2019-20, has been kept locked.