NONGPOH: The demolition of a school to pave way for the expansion of the Umroi airport has caused inconvenience to the over 300 students of the educational institution who are now undergoing classes in a congested rented accommodation.
The school was among the structures demolished following the High Court order to dismantle buildings impeding the expansion of the airport.
The Step Up Secondary School run by the Seng Samla Shnong Umden Pyllun, which has been demolished, was established in 2004 to provide education to the children of three villages– Umden Mission, Umden Umsaitphrah and Umden Arka.
The journey of education that began in humble cottages with limited number of students soon expanded its reach and accommodated pupils from Class Nursery to Class X. In fact two batches from the school have already appeared for the SSLC examination with cent percent success rate.
The school with over 300 students and 18 teachers, salaries of whom are sponsored by the youth organization, has been thrown out of gear due to the demolition.
The school managing committee has shifted the students to a rented building to enable them to continue their studies, especially in the wake of the upcoming final examinations, but the room is jam packed and the students have to squeeze for space.
One of the students said, “we are saddened to see our school destroyed and now we have no school buildings to sit in.”
Speaking to newsmen, the president of the Seng Samla Shnong Umden Pyllun and president of the managing committee of the school, G. Pyrtuh said, “Since the first day of establishing the school, the organization has faced lot of hurdles. But with sheer commitment the youth organization carried out the task of developing the school and served the children of the area.”
He also said that, the managing committee had never opposed the order of the Meghalaya High Court for dismantling the school for the expansion of the airport, but expressed its concern since the state government failed to hear its plea for special consideration to allow the students to complete their final examinations.
“Since the time the district administration started the land acquisition process, the school never obstructed or created any hurdles for the officials. But the institution was left helpless and had accepted the compensation under protest, since the district administration had conducted the survey of the land on which the school was set up in 2011 whereas the land compensation rate is being given as per 2008 rates which is yet to cleared by the state government,” Pyrtuh rued.
He also said that, despite all hurdles the school will continue to serve the students and the youth organization has started the construction of new school building on a plot of land which the organization purchased recently.
The new school building is expected to be complete by January 2016.
