Chennai: Students at corporation Higher Secondary school at Kallikuppam in Ambattur have to deal with lack of proper restrooms, residents claimed. The school, where around 450 students come for education has two restrooms, both of which are not in a good state due to poor maintenance, residents stated. It is located at Ward 82 of zone 7 and is the only school in Ambattur where both male and female students study together.
Nedumaran, a resident from Ambattur said, “Due to the poor state of the loo, students get sick easily. Absentees are always high due to poor sanitation. The ones that are present are not enough for the student’s head count. We have sent a letter on the matter to the Chief Minister’s complaint cell hoping that action will be taken.”
He also stated that the Parents-Teacher Association has sent a letter asking permission for constructing a temporary restroom to the CM cell.
“When the permission is granted, activists from Ambattur Waterbodies Protection Movement will get to work and construct it soon,” Nedumaran, who is the convenor of the unit, added.
A source from the school confirmed the plight of the school and added that there are other not addressed issues as well.
According to the source, the school had become a High School only now. But the primary and higher secondary blocks are present in the same compund.
“It is the primary section that needs separate restrooms as there are 237 students while the higher secondary has a further 200 students. Students do not have taps and basins to wash their hands even,” said the source.
Further, News Today learnt that the buildings leak during rain and that students are forced to adjust the poor infrastructure present there.
“Tipplers and miscreants are not helping the cause either. They drink at the school ground during the night and leave broken bottles at the premises. Also, people come inside the campus and break things. The Corporation gave us a new dustbin and after the recent holidays ended, we came back only to find that even the dustbin did not escape from them,” the source said.