It is rather surprising and embarrassing also for the State Government that there are many Government Schools in Mawsynram area which have been left abandoned be it by representatives or authorities incharge of the State Education Department. The abandonment of the schools was revealed by the members and leaders of the KSU, South West Khasi Hills District after they visited the schools and repaired the damages seen in the schools on the 14th of April,2022 under the lead of Jiedskhem Nongsiej (General Secretary,KSU, South West Khasi Hills District) and Evansroy Nongrem(Education Secretary,KSU,South West Khasi Hills District). The wear and tear of the schools were to an extend that as per statements of residents, the students attending the schools have to use an umbrella inside the classroom if they want to attend classes when it rains and besides that also there are a lack of necessary materials such as benches, desks, blackboards and others. Therefore, the organisation on this day donated CGI sheets, desks, whiteboards and other items through the individual contributions of its members.
These schools are Nongshluid Government L.P School, established in the year 1920 bad Kenshluid Government LP School which are schools under the Mawsynram C &RD Block and are villages which require travelling on foot for upto 2 to 3 hours as there are no motorable roads yet.
The visit of the members of the organisation to the schools made the teachers and the residents melancholic and stated that this is the first time ever that there has been visit made to schools for them to express the problems they face in the region.
” There has never been a time or anyone to have made a visit to the school or our village even after a hundred years of service provided by this school. Your organization is the first ever to come along with the sacrifices you have made to trudge through rain on a road which requires 2-3 hours of walking while carrying benches and desks”, expressed the residents.
The visit made by the organisation with the intention to donate and contribute to these schools followed after the Education Cell of the KSU South West Khasi Hills District inspected the school twice, once on the 15th of February,2022 and another on the 21st of February,2022 in which as an organisation we have heard the woes of the teachers, students and residents of the area even as there are many students studying in these government schools. Even as they are government schools which should have been looked into and taken care of the government but as the government has turned a blind to them, the KSU had no other choice but to take up the task at this juncture.
In the inspection of the organisation, we found many of the classrooms are in a dilapidated condition and the roofs were also filled with holes besides there are no proper materials required for daily use. We found the kitchens complete ruined with no repair work carried out anymore by the Government authorities for the roofs, the toilets and others.
The organisation expressed their sadness and shock because just recently we had seen a clarification had been made in the Assembly that the Government schools are properly equipped in the rural areas but what we as an organisation discovered is the complete reverse of what had been claimed in which no regard was paid by the Government to upgrade schools especially in the rural areas. These are just a few of the examples but many educational institutions or government schools in the rural areas are usually abandoned in this manner. The Education Cell of the KSU,South West Khasi Hills District will gather all the problems in all the educational institutions in the areas and soon we will go and meet the authorities incharge in the Department of Education to express upon the matter of education in the rural areas.
This is a statement received from Evansroy Nongrem, Education Secretary KSU South West Khasi Hills District.
