South First analysed amenities of 2 Adi Dravidar and 2 Chennai Corporation Schools in North Chennai, which has a significant SC population.
Published Aug 31, 2023 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 01, 2023 | 9:40 AM
Students of Adi Dravidar Boys Higher Secondary School, Kannigapuram, Chennai. (Laasya Shekhar/South First
Colourful paintings adorn the walls, CCTV cameras monitor the corridors, students are at work in the science laboratory — the Higher Secondary School at Vyasarpadi, maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation, sports a modern look.
Students — both boys and girls — are all excited as they play kho-kho on a sprawling playground on a hot afternoon.
The school presents a rosy picture of the civic body’s investment for the future generation. Actor Vijay Sethupathi, who has lent his voice to a promotional video, lists out the amenities the school guarantees for its students, the nation’s future.
“There are labs not only for science but also for languages. Students of these schools carry a wonderful experience with them,” the commentary, promoting the civic body-backed schools, said.
Barely a kilometre away, another school stands with nothing to rave about. The students of this school, too, form the nation’s future.
The paint has started peeling off the walls of the Adi Dravidar Boys’ Higher Secondary School at Kannigapuram. The washroom is in a dilapidated state. Students walk a kilometre to use a public playground.
The washroom at the Adi Dravidar Boys’ School, Kannigapuram. (Laasya Shekhar/South First)
There are no “promotional” videos or voice over to announce that the school has been functioning without Physics and History teachers for the past five years. The Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare maintains the school.
South First visited two Adi Dravidar schools in Chennai. Both told the same tale of neglect, and apathy.
The educational landscape at Chennai schools boasts of well-maintained classrooms but the the structural integrity of the buildings of Adi Dravidar schools has been compromised, Sumithra Devi, Executive Director of Brosiga Animation Centre (BSAC), said. BSAC is an organisation that works on skill-building, rights, and education of children.
It is not just the physical infrastructure — or the lack of it — that has been plaguing these schools. Shortage of staff is a major issue. A teacher at the Kannigapuram school said they have been discouraging admissions due to the substandard conditions.
“Despite numerous petitions, the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare has failed to fill the vacant teaching positions in key subjects like Physics and History for over five years,” the teacher told South First, requesting anonymity.
A good number of students are children of sex workers, transgenders, and criminals, who need education to be in the mainstream.
South First compared the amenities of two schools, Adi Dravidar Girls’ Higher Secondary School and Adi Dravidar Boys Higher Secondary School, both at Kannigapuram, with those of as many Chennai Corporation-run Schools: Chennai Higher Secondary School, Kalyanapuram, and Chennai Higher Secondary School, Elephant Gate.
All the four schools are in North Chennai, a region with a significant population of Scheduled Castes.
The two Chennai schools have CCTV cameras, playgrounds, exercise and yoga rooms, well maintained classrooms, incinerators in washrooms, adequate number of teachers, and basic sports equipment.
Forget amenities, the floors of the Adi Dravidar Girls Higher Secondary School at Kannigapuram are bare with no tiles. At the Adi Dravidar schools, there are no CCTV cameras, and playgrounds. Students and teachers said classrooms leaked during rains, and there has always been a shortage of teachers.
The Adi Dravidar schools, once seen as beacons of hope, have lost their lustre. Barring a few dedicated teachers who frequently work extra hours to support the academically-struggling students, and the provision of an Ambedkar Guide (containing a summary of subjects) the Adi Dravidar schools have now become monuments of neglect.
The floors of four classrooms in Adi Dravidar Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Kannigapuram, do not have tiles. (Laasya Shekhar/ South First)
While the students of Greater Chennai Corporation schools enjoy a plethora of benefits, including record books, examination sheets, nutritional snacks, opportunities for high achievers to pursue education in private colleges, and financial aid for stitching school uniforms, these are denied to their counterparts in Adi Dravidar schools.
A student of a Chennai school told South First that she enjoys playing football and loves reading about the Indian freedom movement in the library. A female student of the Adi Dravidar School said that she would be happy if her school had a playground.
“The boys tease us at the public playground. So, we don’t play even if we want,” she said.
“As students have to bring their answer sheets, they are hesitant to write lengthy answers,” H Geetha, a member of the School Management Committee (SMC) at Adi Dravidar Girls’ Higher Secondary School, said. Most students are from poor families.
SMCs, comprising teachers, parents, and ward councillors, play a crucial role in drawing the authority’s attention to the requirements of the Adi Dravidar schools.
According to the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare’s 2021 statistics, there are 1,138 primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools under the department. Over 1.23 lakh students are enrolled in the Adi Dravidar and government tribal residential schools. Chennai district has 11 Adi Dravidar Welfare Schools.
A year ago, the department faced the wrath of Dalit activists after it returned a whopping ₹927.61 crore to the government. The money was meant to be used for several welfare measures, including education.
Sumithra Devi of Brosiga Animation Centre, said it conducts after-school classes for both corporation and Adi Dravidar students,
“There is no dearth of funds in Chennai schools. Getting funds from the Adi Dravidar Department seems to be a problem. Adi Dravidar schools are staying afloat with the help of other organisations. School managements are building networks with the help of philanthropists to improve the conditions of Adi Dravidar schools,” she said.
As per the statistics provided by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department Secretary G Laxmi Priya, there are vacancies for 806 teacher posts (as per the Right to Education norms) in Adi Dravidar schools.
She said the department has so far spent ₹107.86 crore on new school buildings and adding new classrooms to existing schools in 2023-24. However, the expenditure was just ₹9 crore in 2022-23.
The money spent, however, is not reflected on the ground.
“About 3/4th of Adi Dravidar funds are spent on schools and yet, the schools are in such deplorable condition. The schools in interior Tamil Nadu are much worse,” Arokiasamy Vincent Raj, founder of Evidence, an organisation that fights caste violence in Tamil Nadu told South First
“The Tamil Nadu government has admitted that these schools are sub-standard and that’s the reason why they plan to merge these schools with the education department,” he added.
Incidentally, a collective of NGOs and activists, Arivu Samoogam, opposed the government’s plan to merge Adi Dravidar schools with the School Education Department. After a three-day workshop in April 2023, they opined that the merger move was an attempt to implement the National Education Policy.
As Chennai Schools flourish in their modern amenities, the tale of Adi Dravidar schools speaks of a forgotten promise — a promise to provide quality education to all.
