No teacher, No toilet, students take to street

CHENNAI: Lack of an economic teacher, alleged mistreatment by management and poor facilities forced around 100 Classes XI and XII students of Thiru Vi Ka Higher Secondary School in Shenoy Nagar to take to the streets during post-lunch hours on Friday.Students from the Commerce and Vocational group of the government-aided school run by Dr MuVa Edu-cational Trust began the protest just outside their campus but were forced to return classes by the police. Students complained that they have not had an economics teacher from the beginning of this academic year. This is clearly reflected in their results, pointed out a class XII commerce student, Mohan (name changed). “In the quarterly exams, out of the 53 students in my class, 50 of us failed in economics,” he said.And whenever the students approached the head master, A Paranthaman, they were verbally abused and sometimes thrashed, the students alleged. The head master also allegedly threatened to cut their practical marks, they charged. A retired commerce teacher was hired to teach economics on a part-time basis but students said he made rare visits and they were unable to comprehend his teaching. Praveen (name changed) said, “Sometimes our commerce teacher reads some passages from the economics book.”Problems don’t seem to stop there, students said they have dirty toilets and never had enough drinking water. Rajesh (name changed) said, “We have more than 2,000 students but we have only five toilets, which don’t have proper doors and water. And it reeks so much, it can make anybody puke. We never have enough drinking water, sometimes we do not have water at all. The water tanks are never washed and the septic tank, which is overflowing, stinks up the whole campus.”When the head master was asked about the poor state of affairs, he said, “I took charge only in June and I am waiting for the approval of my post. Once that comes through, we will fill the other vacancies also. Until such time, the students have a part time teacher for economics.” He also refuted charges of verbal abuse, threats and corporal punishment and alleged that students were cooking up stories.