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 – this time, from Tenkasi where the students at the Government High School in Gudalur are reportedly being forced to attend classes outdoors due to a shortage of classrooms and delays in completing essential facilities in a newly inaugurated additional school building.
Parents of students enrolled at the Government High School in Gudalur village near Sivagiri have raised concerns over inadequate infrastructure, alleging that children are being compelled to attend classes outdoors due to a shortage of classrooms and delays in completing a newly sanctioned school building.
According to parents, the existing school structure is in a dilapidated condition, with portions of it no longer usable. They said the school kitchen had collapsed earlier, forcing midday meal preparations to be carried out in the open. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the parents said around 126 students from Classes 6 to 10 are currently studying at the school, which caters to children from Gudalur, Ramanathapuram, Mettupatti, Kodangipatti, Velayuthapuram and surrounding hamlets.
The parents stated that the school does not have sufficient classrooms to accommodate all students, resulting in some classes being conducted under trees or along the outer walls of the building. They added that students, especially those in Class 6, were being asked to sit outside during lessons, which caused discomfort and distraction.
Esakki Muthu, a youth from Mettupatti, said that Chief Minister MK Stalin had inaugurated an additional building for the school during his visit to Tenkasi on 29 October 2025. He said that in response to a recent petition he had submitted, the district educational officer informed him that only four classrooms had been completed in the new block, while essential facilities such as toilets, compound walls and a kitchen were yet to be constructed. According to him, the official also stated that students could be shifted to the new building only after the entire construction was completed, raising questions about the inauguration of an incomplete structure.
When contacted, Chief Educational Officer Renuka said she had only recently assumed charge and would look into the matter. Another education department official said that the panchayat administration was in the process of constructing toilets for the additional building. The official added that once the toilet construction was completed, students would be moved into the new classrooms, likely by January 2026.
The official further stated that the four classrooms in the additional building, which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, had been constructed using funds provided by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Source: The New Indian Express
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