By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Ri-Bhoi Students Union (RBSU) has urged upon the State Government to set up a Government college in and around Umsning area.
While pointing out that the Ri-Bhoi College at Nongpoh is the only college in the whole District, RBSU president Tyngshaiñ L Lapang said that the location of the college is only feasible to those students residing in villages around Nongpoh and hence there is an urgent need to set up a college at Umsning.
“Most of the students from villages falling under Umsning, Umroi and Mawhati constituencies face a lot of inconvenience due to the distance they have to travel to go to Nongpoh for further studies,” Lapang said while addressing a press conference after submitting the memorandum to Education Minister Prof RC Laloo here on Thursday.
Many students from Umsning and adjoining areas have to discontinue their studies after the higher secondary level due to absence of any institution offering higher studies in the area. “They (the students) can no longer afford to pursue higher studies as it involves more than 100 kilometres of travel (to-and-fro) everyday,” the RBSU president said.
“Students who are financially sound to a certain extent manage to go to Shillong however the lesser fortunate ones have to discontinue their studies,” Lapang added.
The RBSU asked the government to earnestly consider setting up a Government college in Umsning to ‘secure the future of majority of the students in the area’ “In the initial stages, we would like the Government to start with the courses in Arts, Commerce and Science streams,” RBSU president said while also requesting the political leaders from the district to support this demand irrespective of their parties.
Meanwhile, while referring to their long pending demand for introduction of Science streams in Ri-Bhoi college, Lapang said that the student’s body would continue to follow this demand which was placed before the government in 2007. The RBSU president also voiced concern over the perennial traffic congestion along the NH-40 that has created difficulties for students from Ri-Bhoi who are pursuing their studies in Shillong.
