In a startling case of administrative negligence, a government-aided primary school near the Sathankulam Highway Office in Thoothukudi has come under fire for employing three staff members a headmaster, a female teacher, and a cook to serve just one student.
Public complaints about disproportionate salary spending prompted media to investigate the matter. When reporters visited the school on 12 August 2025, they witnessed the lone student kneeling and writing on the blackboard completely unsupervised except for a female teacher seated passively in the corner of the room. As soon as she noticed the cameras, she quickly called the headmaster, seemingly more concerned about optics than the actual functioning of the school.
Earlier, a visit to the headmaster’s office revealed no one present, though the fan was running suggesting recent occupancy. The entire school appeared abandoned. At around 11 AM, Headmaster Erban Singh finally arrived and, instead of addressing the poor state of the institution, immediately questioned, “Who complained to you?”
He defended the situation, stating that the number of students dropped after his transfer from a different school with a higher student population. According to him, students were shifted due to administrative disagreements. “There were three students here until recently, two are absent today. Only one has come,” he claimed. He also mentioned plans to visit homes and convince parents to bring their children back.
He said, “Due to a problem between the administration and me, they transferred me and all the children left. Now, they have put me here to bring the school back to its former state. It’s been a week since you’ve been posted there. I’m making an effort and going to every house; I’ve just come back from two houses. I went to ask them to send their children.”
The reporter questioned, “Just because they transferred you, will the children leave?” the headmaster responded saying, “What can be done? They’ve left.” Reporter pressed further, “They said that because they transferred you, you took the children to another school.”
The headmaster seemed more focused on justifying the staffing than resolving the core issue. “It’s a big school; of course there’s maintenance and staff. Whether there’s one student or ten, we still have two teachers,” he said, further revealing that official communication to higher authorities had gone unanswered.
The situation highlights a broader issue in government and government-aided schools across Thoothukudi. Social activists argue that poor teacher attendance, lack of proper instruction, and administrative apathy are contributing to declining enrollment. In some cases, children are left to study alone in classrooms, leading to concerns about their mental and emotional well-being.
Critics argue that teachers drawing full government salaries should be reallocated to schools with higher student populations, rather than being allowed to continue in near-empty institutions with minimal accountability.
When questioned about possible action, the local education officer admitted that since the school is under diocesan management, direct government intervention is limited. “Because it is a diocesan, we are not able to take much action. Now, if it’s a government school, we would do something about it ourselves, go talk to the villagers, send a report, and get things done at a higher level. Here, I can only issue a notice. I gave a letter saying, ‘I went, but the child wasn’t there.’ I don’t know if the correspondent is taking action or not. In the end, I even gave a threatening letter stating, ‘Why shouldn’t I stop your salary? One has no work, there is one teacher for one student therefore it is loss to the government isn’t it, so why aren’t you taking steps to increase student enrollment?’ I gave that, but there was no response to any of it,” the officer stated. He also noted that, despite sending letters and raising concerns, no substantial steps have been taken to address the issue.
ஒரு பள்ளி.. ஒரு மாணவர்.. ஒரு டீச்சர்… ஒரு H.M… ரூ.1 லட்சம் சம்பளம்..! நம் ஊரில் தான் அதிசய பள்ளி..!#Polimer | #School | #Student | #Headmaster pic.twitter.com/fLojL2DGVx
— Polimer News (@polimernews) August 13, 2025
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