Coimbatore’s School of Excellence gets toilets
ERODE
Erode Sengunthar Engineering College: Annual Sports Day, Col. Chinnaswamy Jayavel, Director – Defence Academy, Coimbatore, chief guest, 8.30 a.m.
Following persistent efforts by students and parents to address the lack of basic toilet facilities at the CCMA Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, 45 toilets with water connections are now available for 2,672 students at the school.
Additionally, plans are under way to construct 10 new toilets at the CCMA Middle School located on Raja Street.
This comes after protests by over 100 students,in December and January demanding improved sanitation facilities on the premises.
The initiative is a component of the ‘School of Excellence’ initiative undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation (TNHPC) at ₹171 crore to develop 28 government schools in the State comprehensively. Given its status as one of the largest schools in the district, accommodating over 2,500 students, the CCMA school was selected to bene¤t from this programme.
According to an o¦cial overseeing the project in the district, approximately ₹2.71 crore was allocated to the TNHPC for undertaking renovation works at the school. This funding facilitated the construction of 45 toilets across four existing structures within the school premises.
Prior to the improvement, out of the eight existing washrooms at the school, four had urinals that were unused.
The remaining four suitable for girls were poorly maintained and lacked running water throughout the day.
Under the scheme, the renovation included the replacement of the obsolete urinals with newer toilets, plumbing and electrical works across the school, installation of water tanks, provision of four fans and lights in each classroom, construction of a shed on the sports ground, establishment of a basketball court, refurbishment of the science laboratory, and repainting of the buildings. During a visit to the school by The Hindu, a contractor on the site said that renovation works were progressing at full speed, taking advantage of the summer vacation period. “The works are scheduled to be completed in less than a month,” he added.