DIMAPUR, JULY 5 (MExN): Thirty eight years since its establishment in 1973, Government High School, Diphupar still functions under kaccha house with no proper infrastructure and other basic necessities. One of the kaccha structures is leaning to fall but supported by few posts which may give way to sturdy wind anytime.
Tired of numerous communications to the authorities for constructing new building for the school, the Diphupar Naga Students’ Union (DNSU), on Thursday invited media persons to see the sorry state of the school.
During a brief interaction, teachers, students of the school, DNSU and Diphupar Village Council (DVC) as well expressed disappointment at the authorities for neglecting the school. Students complained of small classrooms with larger numbers of students, frequent cases of snakes coming inside classrooms, inability to properly see lessons written on blackboard due to reflection of outside light coming through all directions other than windows and door, overhearing what is being taught in the next classroom, no science laboratories and sufficient computers etc. “This year we have killed five snakes in our classroom,” said one of the students. The lack of proper toilets and benches are also a major concern for the students.
The classrooms also have passages to get into the next classroom. When a class is in session, students could still get out of the class using the passage without the knowledge of the teacher. The school has no drinking water facility. These are some of the reasons which the students say they could not concentrate in the class.
It was learnt that the DVC donated ceiling fans to the school last year providing some relief to the students during Summer. However, this is not enough and the classrooms are in need of more ceiling fans given the number of students inside the class.
Another major grievance of the school is the absence of proper fencing for the compound keeping the school at risk of theft of office machineries and papers. DVC said it had earlier put up fencing around the compound few times but regretted that it never lasted long as miscreants were always at demolition. The School authority said that a former governor, education minister and DEOs have visited the school and all of them recommended new building but that no positive change has taken place yet.
“It’s been such a long time since the school was established. We don’t know why the government cannot build their own building,” said the headmistress of the school. She said the school has an enrolment of 520 students at present and wondered where and how to accommodate when more students come in as the present infrastructure was too congested. She said the school was forced to accommodate more than 80 students per classroom. In such condition, the government should not expect quality education, she added. The headmistress also said it was high time that an HSLC exam centre was granted to the school and also upgrade it to higher secondary.
Another teacher who had earlier served in Tuensang said the infrastructure was much better there which people describe as “backward.”
A number of documents pertaining to communications to the government requesting new building for the school were made available to the media persons. DNSU, DVC, the school authority and the DEOs have written several times providing details of the actual condition of the school befitting a new building. One of the papers stated that the DPDB had on May 6, 2003 recommended for approval of the government for construction of the school building but it remained only on papers.
The latest letter was written to DC Dimapur by DEO on June 25, 2012 stating that the school building was not suitable to run classes and that since its up-gradation in 1988 the government has not provided proper building. The DEO who described the condition of the school as “deplorable,” requested the DC to initiate for new construction of the school building at the earliest.
