CHENGALPATTU: While Gautama Buddha is said to have received enlightenment while sitting under a tree, more than 200 students of a government college in Chengalpattu are lamenting the lack of a proper classroom, forcing them to attend classes under a tree for over a month.
Students in the Political Science department, particularly first-year students, at Rajeswari Vedachalam Government Arts College, fumed that their education has been disrupted due to the acute shortage of safe classroom facilities
They also claimed that the classroom allotted to first-year students was closed after it became unsafe following rain damage. With no permanent alternative provided, classes were shifted to Anna Hall.
However, as the hall is frequently requisitioned for official events and programmes, students are repeatedly asked to vacate, leaving them without a fixed venue. This has resulted in classes being held in open spaces, exposing students to harsh weather conditions and constant interruptions.
Adding to their woes, students claimed that several classes were cancelled or boycotted amid an internal protest by guest lecturers, further affecting the continuity of teaching. They said the prolonged uncertainty over classrooms and irregular classes had taken a toll on their learning and morale.
Though second- and third-year students have classrooms, the upper floors of the building are damaged and unsafe. During the monsoon, rainwater reportedly seeps through the structure, compelling students to sit through classes in fear of accidents.
“Repeated representations to the college principal over the past month have yielded no solution,” a student told DT Next. “We’ve also petitioned Chengalpattu MLA Varalakshmi, written to CM Stalin and even the Secretariat seeking urgent intervention to restore basic learning facilities.”
College authorities said that Anna Hall had been provided as a temporary arrangement. “Unsafe classrooms will be renovated once formally reported by the HoD. A new academic block built at a cost of Rs 5.2 crore, with 10 classrooms and basic amenities, was recently completed. A classroom will be allotted to the Political Science department shortly,” said a senior official in the college.