The incident occurred at Pudupattu Middle School, where over 100 students are enrolled. On 16 July 2025 afternoon, a group of sixth-grade students was studying in the veranda area when a portion of the concrete roof suddenly collapsed. The accident resulted in serious injuries to five students Rakshit, Gokul, Gopika, Thenmozhi, and Vaishali.
Teachers on site rushed to rescue the children and immediately took them to the Madurantakam Government Hospital for treatment.
The building in question was a newly constructed block with two classrooms, built at a cost of ₹33 lakh under the Rural Development and Panchayat Department’s Child-Friendly School Infrastructure Development Scheme for the 2024–25 academic year. It had only been in use since April, making the collapse within just three months particularly alarming.
Distressed parents have voiced strong concerns, blaming the accident on poor construction quality. They demanded a thorough re-inspection of the building before allowing students back inside. “This structure was clearly built with substandard materials. The contractor’s license must be revoked, and the quality of other buildings constructed by him should also be reviewed,” said one parent. They urged the district administration to intervene, emphasizing that it is becoming increasingly unsafe to send children to school. “The collector must take urgent steps to protect our children’s safety and future,” they added.
This is not the first time that ceiling collapses have been seen in government schools. Over the past year, newly renovated classrooms saw such a collapse, perimeter walls collapsed, leaving students injured, under the Dravidian model of governance.
(With Inputs From Dinamalar)
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