Kottayam: Classes of the ten tribal students of Edmalakudy tribal panchayath have been temporarily disrupted after the classroom of the MG LP School, Olakkayam, began leaking because of the heavy rain. The classroom was constructed in 2000 by the DPEP.
The ten students from Classes I to IV have lost one week because of the leak. The classes were only resumed after a makeshift classroom was set up on Monday at the house of a tribal named Karuppuswamy.
“We have been raising the issue of the dilapidated classrooms with the authorities for the last several years. The students lost at least four days of classes due to the leak”, Mr Muralidharan, the sole school teacher told Deccan Chronicle.
The walls of the classroom shed have been totally damaged due to recurrent rain. The classroom was built with mud. DC had earlier carried a report on the condition of the classroom, and how the students were braving the rain and adverse climate to study.
V. Jayaprakash, the assistant education officer (AEO) of Munnar told DC that they were intimated of the situation only on Wednesday, and hence not able to take any corrective action and construct a new classroom for the students.
“We were intimated only today (Wednesday). We will submit a report to the government on the situation”, he said. However, Mr Muralidharan told DC that while their complaint about the dilapidated classroom had been pending for a long time, it was the latest problem that necessitated cancelling classes that was submitted in writing on Wednesday.
The school is one of the 10 single teacher schools functioning in Edamalakudy, the first tribal panchayath of the state.
