TURA: The Anti-Corruption and Human Development Organisation (ACHDO) has demanded establishment of an examination centre in the Chibinang region of the plains belt in West Garo Hills to ease the difficulties faced by hundreds of Class X and XII students who have no option but to travel to Phulbari town to appear for their Matric (SSLC) and Higher secondary (HSSLC) examinations.
Students from schools such as Jana Priya Higher Secondary School in Bholarbita area of Chibinang and many smaller institutes trek eight kilometres to Phulbari to appear for the exams every year.
“The students who are eligible to appear in either of the two examinations had to earlier travel to Phulbari before the new centre at Shyamnagar, 6 kms from Chibinang, began functioning,” informed Ishraful Haque, president of ACHDO.
The ACHDO is moving the government to establish an examination centre at one of the biggest and oldest education institutes in Chibinang region- Jana Priya Higher Secondary School.
“Because of the distance students have to pay to travel on public transport to the exam centre and many of those who are not financially stable opt out thus raising the percentage of school dropouts. There are also instances of children missing out on examinations due to absence of public transport from their villages to the centre,” Haque said.
The road from Chibinang to Phulbari is also one of the most dilapidated in the entire region due to years of neglect. Innumerable potholes dot the Phulbari-Chibinang stretch of the road which has been termed by commuters as “hell’s stretch”.
