Corporation sits pretty over burgeoning education cess

Deccan Chronicle: Chennai: Friday, January 31, 2014.

An RTI petition filed by DC with Chennai corporation reveals that Rs 175 crore, collected as education cess, is in the corporation’s kitty unspent for the last eight years.

The cess money, which should be utilised for the improvement of infra­st­r­ucture of schools and to upgrade the quality of education in corporati­on schools, has not been spent.

Educationists say here are schools in Che­nnai where 100 children are squeezed in one cla­s­s­room and quality of ed­u­cation has not been im­proved with library and lab facilities using the cess funds.

According to the RTI reply, elementary education tax is collected alo­ng with property tax at the rate of 2.50 per cent of annual value of the bu­­­i­lding.

The expenditure from this tax is sp­ent especially to im­pr­o­ve corporation school in­fr­astructure and special works in and around the school area.

Social activist A. Deva­neyan points out that schools in Kannagi Na­gar and Chem­menchery do not have adequate cla­ssrooms and children in these neighbourhoods are forced to travel to the city for better quality education.

“There are just three middle schools and one each higher secondary and high school in Kannagi Nagar. Wh­ereas, the student population crosses more than 15,000. In case of Chem­m­enchery there are more than 6,000 children in the neigbourhood. Th­ere is just one middle and a high school for chi­ldren. These two schools are not adequate to cater to all the 6,000 students here,” said Devaneyan. He added that due to la­ck of additional classr­ooms, more than 100 students are pushed into one classroom in Chem­m­enchery.

Schools in Korukupet, Nehru Nagar and other north Chennai neighb­ourhoods are worse still. For instance, students of the middle school in Coronation Nagar att­end school on shift basis because the construction of school building, started almost two years back, is yet to be completed.

“Since the construction of new classrooms has been going for several months, students are asked to attend school on different shifts. Students from class one to five attend school in the mo­rnings and students fr­om class six to eight occupy the same classrooms in the afternoon,” a parent, who sends her two daughters to the sch­ool, said, requesting ano­nymity.

Locals suggest that the corporation could spend the education cess to rent a spacious area to provide regular classes to the children who were denied this facility.

Students Federation of India state president Uc­hi Mahali complains th­at in some instances, the education cess is being diverted for unrelated works like road laying and providing drinking water facility to neighbourhoods close to the schools.

“Education cess should not be used for any other purpose other than up­grading the school premises and to improve the quality of education bei­ng provided there. We st­rongly condemn the un­der utilisation and mi­shandling of educati­on cess,” says Uchi Mahali.