Alappuzha: A section of the tiled roof at the Government UP School in Karthikappally, Alappuzha, collapsed following heavy rain on Sunday. The incident happened around 8 am, when the front portion above the verandah of a classroom gave way. Fortunately, as it was a holiday, no one was present on the school premises, and no injuries were reported.

According to Chingoli Grama Panchayat member Aneesh S, the affected building has remained unused this academic year after it failed to secure a fitness certificate. “The structure is at least 150 years old and is one of five single-storey buildings - all having tiled roofs - in use. It had four classrooms and the Headmistress’s office. When the fitness certificate was denied, classes were shifted to the school auditorium, and the Headmistress moved to the teachers’ staffroom,” said Aneesh, who also chairs the School Management Committee (SMC).

While the building was vacated for regular use, important files and documents remained in the HM’s office, and staff continued to access the space as needed.

The 200-year-old school, which has nearly 1,000 students, including pre-primary sections, also completed the construction of a new two-storey building earlier this year. Built with ₹2 crore in funding from the KIIFB and overseen by the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (KSCADC), the new block comprising 14 classrooms was scheduled to be inaugurated on June 1.

However, pending electrical work delayed its operation. “There were issues with finalising the electrical contract, which caused the delay. We have since brought the matter to the attention of the district administration. The Assistant Collector has forwarded our concerns to the Executive Engineer at KSCADC,” Aneesh added.