Government Primary School Bura Namsang ‘C’ in Longleng continues to function under a thatch roof despite repeated appeals.
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DIMAPUR — A thatch hut built and maintained by villagers is all that stands between children and education at Bura Namsang village in Longleng district, located approximately 88.5 km from the district headquarters, where a government primary school (GPS) continues to function without a proper building, playground, boundary wall or standard toilets even four decades after its establishment.
GPS Bura Namsang ‘C’, established in 1985, currently operates with only two rooms in a semi-pucca structure constructed by the department of School Education around 2006-08. One room serves as the school office while the other is used as a classroom.
Before the construction of the two-room structure, the school had been functioning from a two-room thatch hut since 1985.
A brief relief came in 2024 under the Nagaland Education Project—The Lighthouse (NECTAR), through which another semi-pucca classroom, made of half-brick walls and steel sheets, was constructed along with repairs to the earlier structure built in 2016.
However, with enrolment increasing and classrooms remaining insufficient, the school management committee (SMC), parents, village council, student body and the community continue to repair and maintain the thatch hut, which still houses two classrooms.
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Bura Namsang Village Students’ Union president Phakling Yanpai told Eastern Mirror that the thatch hut was constructed and has been maintained by the community due to the failure of the department of School Education to provide adequate infrastructure.
“The makeshift structure leaks during heavy rainfall and becomes unbearably hot during summer, especially when it rains,” he said.
Despite the conditions, classes continue, with teachers handling students seated on mud floors—a reality that, according to him, exposes the stark gap between the ‘Right to Education’ on paper and conditions on the ground.
Yanpai said that the community has been repairing and rebuilding the structure on its own for the past 10 years, particularly during the monsoon season.
“Despite repeatedly raising the issue of poor infrastructure with the department and the government, there has been no positive outcome,” he said.
The student leader said that department officials have visited the school several times and witnessed its condition firsthand, but no assurance or concrete action has followed.
The school also lacked basic toilet facilities, including separate toilets for boys and girls, he said, adding that the community later constructed two toilets, though they remain below standard.
The SMC had earlier flagged the acute shortage of classrooms, stating that students from different grades are forced to share rooms, making it difficult for teachers to effectively implement the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) curriculum.
The committee had also expressed plans to increase enrolment and upgrade the school but stressed that additional classrooms were necessary to meet those goals.
It further pointed out that GPS Bura Namsang ‘C’ is the only government primary school under Namsang EAC headquarters, Kongshong, and must be equipped to meet students’ needs.
Yanpai also said that enrolment remains stagnant because many parents are reluctant to send their children to the government school due to its poor condition.
He said that the village’s two private schools operate only up to Class VI, and only families capable of paying fees are able to send their children there.
“For those who want to send their children to government schools, the nearest options are Tamlu, around 25 km away, or Naginimora in Mon district, which is about 24 km away,” he said, adding that parents would also have to arrange accommodation for their children.
He further stated that even desks and benches have been arranged through community contributions and limited SMC funds.
Apart from inadequate infrastructure and the lack of proper toilets, the school also does not have a playground or space for one, as the campus is located dangerously close to the main road.
He explained that constant traffic movement near the school poses safety risks to children while also creating noise that disrupts classes.
The SMC and parents have repeatedly appealed to the department for the construction of a new school building at a safer and more suitable location.
“The community informed the department that a suitable site has already been identified within the village, which would provide a quiet, spacious and safe environment for children,” Yanpai said, adding that the community had also offered to assist officials in verifying the proposed site.
According to him, the latest appeal was submitted to the department in April 2026, in addition to several earlier representations over the same issues.