From Biplab Kr Dey
KHARKUTTA, July 22: Education in Garo Hills, especially at the lower and middle levels, has long carried shock value, with each new school visit revealing another chapter in the region’s history of systemic neglect. A visit to the village of Imsambal in North Garo Hills (NGH) continued this troubling saga.
Imsambal is a village about 15 km from Kharkutta, the C&RD headquarters of the area, and takes around 30 minutes to reach from Kharkutta Bazaar due to the narrow road. The visit was led by a seven-member team from the Achik State People’s Front (ASPF), Kharkutta chapter, including its president, Stephen Marak.
At first glance, there appeared to be nothing wrong with the school, as a recently built structure stood beside the now condemned building, almost appearing to be part of the same complex. In front of the school lies a small playground, with a church adjoining it. The school itself is located about 500 metres from the main Kharkutta-Dokongsi Road.
The first thing that strikes one upon entering the school is the lack of space, with only two rooms in the new structure. Looking up at the roof, one can see thin slits in the relatively thin tin sheets, while part of the roofing outside the classrooms has been blown off. This has already made it impossible to conduct classes during rainfall.
Behind the classrooms are two separate toilets, both unusable by anyone, let alone children. According to the village Sordar, Keminath Sangma, the school is over 50 years old and, despite the eagerness of students to learn, has consistently fallen short in terms of infrastructure. “The classes cannot be used during the rains as water seeps through the small cuts that the tin roof has developed. What is worse is that this is a polling station. How are we supposed to host officials on election duty when they get here? There is not even a working toilet,” said Sangma.
The school’s problems do not end there. It currently has over 50 students from Nursery to Class V but only one teacher. “We had two teachers before who more or less helped cover the education of the children of the village as was required. However, without any consultation with us, one of them was taken away to another place. Now we have the lone teacher for more than 50 students and just two rooms and no toilets. This is how bad our situation is,” said the Sordar.
However, the condition of the classrooms and the shortage of teachers are not the villagers’ biggest concerns. Their main worry is the old, crumbling structure next to the main school building.
“We have written several times to the education office to completely demolish the old structure as it poses a significant threat during times of strong winds and storms. However, despite our repeated pleas, the department has been unmoved. We cannot demolish the structure as it is still government property but we fear that a major accident is waiting to happen if the old structure is not removed and could be terrible,” said the Sordar.
According to official records, the village has 82 households and a population of over 470.
Meanwhile, the ASPF team that visited the school has come down heavily on the Education department for its negligence regarding the problems faced by the school and its students.
“Are they actually waiting for children to be killed or injured before removing the old structure? How does it make sense for one school teacher to take 7 classes for 7 different groups in just one day? This is ridiculous to say the least. We ask the education officials as well as the present state government to intervene and prove that education is actually the first priority of the government,” said the ASPF president.
Marak further questioned why it was so difficult for the education authorities to provide a NOC to dismantle the old school building when it was visibly at risk of collapse, posing significant danger to the children studying there.