While Kollywood actor and Dravidianist sympathiser Karthi showered praise on Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh, claiming government schools were thriving under his stewardship, the reality on the ground tells a very different story especially in Tiruppur, just 40 km from the actor’s hometown.
For nearly eight years, students at the Veerapandi Government Higher Secondary School in Tiruppur have been forced to study under severely inadequate conditions. With over 1,200 students enrolled from Classes VI to XII, the school has only 19 classrooms, pushing hundreds of children into makeshift learning spaces on terraces, verandahs, and corridors.
During rains, many of these exposed areas flood, severely disrupting lessons. The lack of space, privacy, and basic facilities has left students and parents frustrated and disillusioned.
“This situation has persisted since 2017,” said Sasikumar, a member of the Parent-Teacher Association. “We have written multiple times to the local councillor and the district collector, requesting new classrooms to be built on nearby land just a kilometre away from the school. But nothing has moved. We now have 100 to 150 students squeezed into a single temporary classroom. How can they concentrate or learn in such conditions?”
Lok Priya, a former student, pointed to additional issues plaguing the school, “Despite the large number of students, there are too few classrooms. Sanitary facilities are lacking, there’s no playground, and just two physical education teachers are available for the entire student body. Authorities must take this matter seriously.”
The school’s in-charge Chief Education Officer, Kalimuthu, acknowledged the infrastructure crisis, attributing the rise in student strength to the growing migrant population in Tiruppur. He explained that earlier efforts to expand were stalled due to land constraints, which have now reportedly been resolved. “Revenue officials have inspected the newly identified land. We will take action soon. In the meantime, we’re arranging to use space at a nearby elementary school,” he said.
However, many parents remain sceptical, citing years of administrative inaction and inter-departmental delays. Despite repeated inspections and promises from authorities, the project remains stuck in bureaucratic limbo, with no tangible progress on the ground.
As monsoon rains loom and temporary classrooms remain vulnerable to flooding, parents and teachers are once again urging the government to act swiftly and decisively—not just to build classrooms, but to restore a basic sense of dignity and educational quality for the children of Veerapandi.
(With Inputs From India Today)
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