Class apart: One school, two locations

“While the high school functions from the old premises, the new buildings which house the higher secondary sections are a kilometre away from the village,” Rashstriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) president AE Simmakutty said. 

Earlier, students had to walk three km to Cheyyar, the taluk headquarters, for higher secondary studies as Anakavoor had only a middle school. The state government upgraded this to a high school in 1986. “Students heaved a sigh of relief as they could continue at least till Class 10 in the same school. They needed to go to Cheyyar only for Class 12,” said S Anandhanarayan, school building committee president. 

In 2010, the Anakavoor high school was upgraded to a higher secondary school and the problems started. The building could not accommodate the 400 students from the middle school. The lack of space resulted in plans to build additional classrooms on a 7.50-acre site, a kilometre from the present facility. “As the school lacks a playground, students have to make do with the open space near an adjacent temple,” said Parent-Teacher Association president AV Elappan. 

Funds were sanctioned under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in 2014-15 for the construction of five additional classrooms and two science labs. The building, which was inaugurated in 2016, also houses the headmaster’s (HM) room and school office. 

School sources said the HM and teachers shuttle between the schools to take classes and perform other duties. Officials said efforts were under way to shift the entire school to the new premises by constructing additional buildings at the new site as the 7.5 acres was more than enough to house al buildings needed for the entire school. 

So, until that day, students and staff have to grin and bear their daily school shuttle.