Mangsang Chronicles: Part 3 of 3
MANGSANG, July 15: Education in the rural parts of the Garo Hills has long been a gamble for most students, with nature wreaking havoc and no one stepping forward to help. Many schools are plagued by crumbling infrastructure, making education a daily nightmare. These are cases of institutional neglect that have left countless children—who dream of a brighter future—completely helpless.
The village of Mangsang in East Garo Hills is the perfect embodiment of this all-consuming neglect. In two previous reports, we highlighted four schools in such dire condition that even calling them educational institutions seems like an insult to education itself.
Here, we bring you three more schools where the struggles faced by students and teachers defy comprehension.
Gimdil Govt LP School
Imagine 50 students crammed into one room, with a lone teacher tasked with teaching all six classes simultaneously. That is the grim reality at Gimdil Government LP School.
The village of Gimdil is about 10 km from Mangsang and around 4 km off the Adokgre-Mangsang road. The road within the village is a kutcha road, where nothing moves when it rains. The village depends largely on local produce, with betel nut and pineapples being the major crops.
“We only have about three benches, a blackboard, a cupboard, and nothing else in the room that serves as a school. We have made several requests for additional classrooms and another teacher to assist in educating the children, but to date, we have received nothing,” said the school’s only teacher.
The school previously had another teacher, but he was transferred to a nearby school, leaving 50 students under the care of a single instructor.
What’s even more exasperating is that, until 2024, the school didn’t even have a roof after it was blown away in a storm. A new roof was installed only through the initiative of the village community.
“How do you expect children to get an education in this kind of dump? How can one teacher teach six different classes in the same space? This is insane. The area is remote and should have been prioritized because without this school, many children would be left with no access to education. This is absurd,” said Barnawel Sangma, GSU president of Mangsang.
Outside the single room, there was once supposed to be a separate Upper Primary (UP) school, but that was later diverted to another village. Currently, the school has no kitchen and no functional toilets. An under-construction toilet was abandoned midway, leaving only a few erected pillars.
“This is a slap in the face of everyone who claims to stand for women’s dignity. Without a working toilet, do they expect young girls to relieve themselves in front of everyone? We should be ashamed of how we are treating these children,” said FKJGP president, George Sangma.
For the children of Gimdil, the lone, single-room school is the only option for education. Their village is not only remote but also becomes inaccessible during the rainy season. The next nearest school is over 7 km away, and with no vehicular movement, attending it is almost impossible.
Mokura Balsri SSA LP School
Once a thriving school with over 70 students, Mokura Balsri SSA LP School is now on the verge of collapse due to its crumbling infrastructure. Today, it has just 10 students, looked after by two teachers who brave the daily challenges posed by the school’s decaying condition and the vagaries of nature
The school has three rooms, but none have a complete roof overhead. Holes in the tin sheets are everywhere, and during our visit, water could be seen pooling on the very desks children are supposed to use.
“Most children, even from nearby homes, have switched schools because the rooms are hideous and unusable when it rains. Given the region’s prolonged monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons, it’s difficult to teach. Moreover, our teaching materials and the children’s books get soaked, so we often have to avoid classes during heavy rains,” said one of the teachers. The school has no working toilets; the existing structure is covered in moss and algae. Another toilet, which was supposed to be constructed, was abandoned midway for reasons known only to the contractor and the department involved.
The school kitchen, previously used as a storage room, is now the only structure that can still be used without its contents being destroyed by the rain.
Badilpa Government LP School
On the other side of Gimdil lies Badilpa Government LP School, about 10 km from Mangsang. The school has 62 students who are looked after by just two teachers.
Established in 2009, the school initially had adequate logistical support to maintain a healthy student count. However, hailstorms and heavy rains damaged the roof severely. Despite informing the district education authorities, the school has received no support or repairs. This school, like Gimdil, is the only one in the area. The next nearest LP school is at least 6 km away in either direction. As a result, despite the shambles it is in, children have no other option.
Further inspection revealed that the false ceiling has completely decayed, and there are no windows or doors in any of the four available rooms.
“This is disgusting, to say the least. Those responsible for this utter neglect—both the department and the state government—should hang their heads in shame. How can you ignore the future of so many children and leave them to rot like this? No wonder Meghalaya ranks so low in the PGI (Performance Grading Index). This is unforgivable,” said GSU President Barnawel Sangma.
“The damage to the school occurred more than five years ago, and since then, these children have had to endure this harsh learning environment. Would the ministers or anyone in the education department send their own children to study under such conditions? Why do they expect the poorer sections of society to face such insurmountable odds just to get an education?” asked FKJGP President, George Sangma.
Inference: Mangsang has a population of just over 8,000, with children from Nursery to Class VIII making up about 15–20% (roughly 1,600). Taking just these seven schools into account, over 400 children in this small area are currently going through unimaginable hardships just to get an education.
There are undoubtedly more schools in a similar condition that haven’t yet been reported on. But even this small sample shows that primary and middle-school education in the region needs urgent and comprehensive intervention. That will only happen if the state government and those in charge of education get serious about addressing this crisis.