School students complain about shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure

Updated on: Friday, October 21, 2011

Almost 200 students of Government Higher Secondary School at Peruntholuvu thronged the Collectorate here on Wednesday to express their grievances pertaining to the shortage of teachers and poor infrastructure in their institution.
Vacancies

The boys and girls alleged that despite their repeated pleas to the authorities concerned no steps had been taken to fill the vacancies existing in the teaching staff core.

“Presently, the school has only nine teachers against the sanctioned strength of 42. For the strength of 1,600 students, this is inadequate,” Democratic Youth Federation of India district secretary R. Vadivel told the reporters.

He pointed out that staff size reduced drastically after 16 teachers managed to get transfers during the counselling held recently. However, no steps had been taken to fill even those vacancies, he said.

The students, accompanied by Student Federation of India (SFI) and DYFI leaders, submitted a memorandum to Collector M. Mathivanan seeking his intervention in the matter.

According to the students, valuation of their answer papers in the first quarter exams held recently are yet to be completed owing to the teachers' shortage.

The students also complained that there were no adequate toilets on the premises, the buildings were in a poor condition and the school did not have a compound wall. “Due to non-existence of compound wall, anti-social elements are creeping into the building during the night hours,” they said.

When contacted, Chief Education Officer T. Rajendiran told The Hindu that steps had already been taken to depute teachers to fill the vacancies generated due to the transfer of 13 teachers recently and they would be assuming duties once the elections were over.

“At present, 17 teachers are there against the sanctioned strength of 34 and not nine as alleged,” he clarified.
Maintenance

On the toilets issue, he said that the construction of new toilet complex was under way using the funds allocated under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

“We have also allocated almost Rs. 5 lakh towards maintenance of the edifices,” he added.

School students complain about shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure

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