By Our Reporter
Shillong: The district administration of South Garo Hills is yet to take any action against the managing committees of two schools in South Garo Hills which have been accused of mismanagement of the mid-day meals, over-charging and corporal punishment meted to the students.
Acting Deputy Commissioner of South Garo Hills, David Sangma, while explaining the delay in initiating action against the management of these schools, said, “The administration is currently waiting for the enquiry reports to be submitted by the Extra Assistant Commissioner PM Sangma who was asked to probe the allegations against the two schools.”
The probe was ordered after allegations of over-charging of fees and corporal punishment to the students surfaced against the teachers and management of the Mengkulgittim Lower Primary and Rongsa Awe Upper Primary schools.
The school managing committees were also accused of concealing their ‘true identity’ to project themselves as a privately-owned institution functioning under a single roof with the name of Aban Memorial Secondary English School in Mengkulgittim village, even as they are reaping the benefits of government funds and selling school items received through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for a high price. It was also alleged that the mid-day meals had been provided only once this year in the two schools.
Meanwhile, State Project Director of SSA, JD Sangma, while explaining the delay in initiating action against the two school committees, said that they were awaiting official reports from the district administration.
“We have just heard about the reports from the Garo Hills Sentinel for Human Rights (GHSHR). Unless we get proper evidence it will be very difficult on our part to impose any punishment on the accused,” Sangma said here on Monday.
The State Project Director, however, maintained that there had been delay in the delivery of food grains and the fund for the purchase of agricultural products which might have impacted the delivery of the mid-day meals.
He added that if the allegations of mismanagement of funds are found to be true then necessary action will be taken against the school management.
It may be added that complainants have expressed their disappointment over the ill-treatment of the students and demanded immediate action against the school authorities.
The complainants have also produced several video footages which show students being made to kneel down and crawl around the school corridors while the teachers were having a good laugh over the plight of the children.
The corporal punishment has reportedly even taken a victim in the form of school captain Khebar A Sangma who was mercilessly beaten on August 21 and later expelled because he had questioned the methods of the school committee, the complainants alleged.