GHS Wakching: Nagaland government should build new school building, says WASU

DIMAPUR — Two days after this newspaper published details of the dilapidated condition of Mon district’s first government school in Wakching village, the Wakching Area Students’ Union (WASU) said the concerned department should construct a new school building and that it would not accept renovation or repair work.

The WASU president, Temwang Angh told Eastern Mirror that provision for construction of three additional classrooms has been approved for Government High School Wakching, as per the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) 2023-24 of Samagra Shiksha for the State of Nagaland.

However, he pointed out that even if three new rooms are constructed, the entire structure will collapse as the school building is just supported by temporary pillars.

“No contractor should take up the project for the construction of the three rooms and even if they do so, the contractor will be made to construct the entire building,” the union asserted.   

The WASU members, who met the deputy commissioner of Mon on September 1, also submitted a letter reiterating that renovation and repairing of school building from any scheme or fund will not be accepted at any cost.

The union, in the letter, reminded of the ultimatum submitted to the Directorate of School Education (DoSE) in March by the Konyak Students’ Union through the deputy commissioner of Mon in regard to reconstruction of Government High School building in Wakching.

‘The department had assured to extend its support as per the project approval board meeting held on April 19, 2023, and urged the apex student body to withdraw the ultimatum since the department had already decided to process the work order very soon,’ read the letter.

It also stated that the DC Mon had directed the DEO Mon, Asst. District Coordinator Samagra Shiksha and SDO (Civil) Wakching, in-charge of Government High School, and representatives from WASU for a spot verification, after which ‘the team clearly stated that the school is not in a habitable condition and the building has become live-threatening as it is standing only due to the support provided by temporary pillars erected outside the building which may collapse any time’.

[Related story: Oldest government school in Nagaland’s Mon district may collapse anytime]

The union further mentioned that on August 28, four months after the submission of the verification report to the concerned department, it submitted another complaint to the SDO (Civil) Wakching to update the assurance proposal and for immediate reconstruction of the school building.

However, their complaint letter fell to “deaf ears,” it stated.

The union reminded that it received an alert call from the school staff on August 30, who informed that the ceiling of a classroom had caved in, following which the classes were held in ‘mid-day-meal store’.

Seeking urgent intervention of the DC to avoid any untoward incident, the WASU cautioned that failing to do so, it would “resort to own course of action.”

Established in 1932, the Government High School in Wakching was upgraded to Government Middle School in 1945, and then to GHS in 1958. The current school building was constructed in the year 1972 and has not been renovated or repaired since.

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