The students of Government Girls Vocational Higher Secondary School at BP Angadi near Tirur on Tuesday walked out of the campus saying enough is enough. The girls said they had no choice but to stage a protest on the street against what they called the “perennial neglect of the authorities”.
The girls blocked the road at BP Angadi demanding better facilities on the campus. “We want justice. Are we ignored just because we are girls?” the protestors chorused.
The girls said they were undergoing a lot of hardships on the campus because of the neglect of the authorities. “The classrooms are unsafe. Each time the wind blows, the tile-roofed classrooms dread us. We are afraid that the roof may come crashing down any time,” the protestors said.
They said worms were falling into the classrooms because of the building’s pathetic condition. The bathrooms are too few and dirty, they said. “The government has sanctioned two new higher secondary batches here. Where are they going to accommodate those students? We don’t have any extra space,” the girls said.
Showing a worm in their food container, the girls said they had no choice but to protest as their requests had fallen on deaf ears. Their teachers said they had requested for better facilities, but to no avail.
Kurukkoli Moideen, MLA of Tirur, said that the school had been granted ₹3.9 crore for infrastructural improvement, but the work was delayed. He said the students’ grouse was genuine, and they should be given justice. He said he had spoken to the District Panchayat councillor last week about the importance of improving the facilities.
Minister intervenes
The students’ protest has made Minister for Education V. Sivankutty to intervene on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Sivankutty has sought an urgent report from the Regional Deputy Director of Education (RDD).
The principal of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) has been asked to find a solution to the worm problem by cutting down the trees that lean over the school compound. The students had complained that worms from the trees on DIET campus were troubling them.
Mr. Sivankutty said that ₹3.9 crore had been earmarked for infrastructural improvement of the campus. He said the construction work of the new building would begin soon by circumventing technical delays. As much as ₹1 crore from the plan fund too has been allotted for the school, he said.
The Minister has directed the school principal to initiate measures to clean up the school compound. Thalakkad grama panchayat will also support the school work, said the Minister. He said if more funds were needed, people’s representatives should ask for it.
