Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

An obstacle to add more classrooms to college

R. Krishnamoorthy

"Construction should be made only through PWD"

TIRUCHI : Though the strength of students is bursting at its seams, a government norm has turned an obstacle in the way of adding more classrooms to the Periyar E.V.R. College, which predominantly caters to socially and economically backward students of the central districts.

The norm that construction of any additional buildings should be made only through the Public Works Department has impeded the plan of the Periyar E.V.R. College Alumni Association (Periyal) to mobilise funds and have four additional classrooms constructed without any government intervention.

The PWD's estimate of Rs. 16 lakh for the four classrooms came as a jolt for the alumni association, which had decided about the project at its maiden meeting in 2005. The premise of the alumni association is that the classrooms could be constructed for much lesser amount after meeting all the quality parameters. The issue is likely to be broached at the second meeting of the alumni association slated for September 17. The association has reportedly approached the Government again seeking permission to construct the classrooms by itself.

Having started several new programmes over the years, the College is in dire need of 20 additional classrooms. What the teachers consider unfathomable is the denial of even limited flexibility to the institution to take crucial decisions, though the college was conferred with autonomy years ago. Under the current circumstances, Government funding for infrastructure up-gradation is a far cry, they observe.

A proposal sent to the Government during the previous regime for construction of a new block with the funds generated from the examination fee to house the office of the Controller of Examinations still lies in cold storage.

Absence of building space has forced the college to adopt a shift system. The classes for the science programmes are held in the morning hours and in the afternoon hours, students of arts programmes attend the classes, said the vice-president of Government College Teachers' Manram, R. Shantharam.

Having converted the self-financing programmes into regular ones in the wake of a Government directive, the college is hard-pressed to manage with limited infrastructure.

In realisation of such teething difficulties, the teachers have taken the changes in the timings of class hours in their stride. A glimmer of hope however lies in the talks doing the rounds that the higher-ups are seized of the issue and they are likely to take quick decisions to ease the situation.

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