Students of government primary school in Dimapur left ‘school-less’
Staff Reporter
Dimapur, February 25
The students of Government Primary School (GPS) under Ward XIII, Landmark Colony, Dimapur were dumbfound to be greeted by police personnel at their new proposed school which was supposed to be inaugurated today. Their dream of sitting and learning in a better and secure environment were short lived on finding the gate of their new supposed school locked and guarded, bringing confusion to their face.
The classroom in which they were imparted knowledge for the last four years is a compressed space of dirt under the prominent stockade- a dumping place of arms and ammunition by the allied forces during the WW II.
The Government Primary School (GPS) under Ward XIII, Landmark Colony PWD Dimapur functions at the 2nd World War Stockade since 2010 with dividing wall of six classrooms with no proper windows or secure infrastructure which is not even secure all through the seasons.
Children have no idea of what a suitable/secure surrounding means but the irony is how the school authorities obtained permission to establish a school without fulfilling basic criteria for a school in such a location for the last four years?
Seeing the plight of students, school authority along with Ward XIII Council members which included Landmark, Midland, Residency and Kyong Colony, proposed to construct school which was lying vacant at the plot that belongs to PWD under Patta 1539 covered by dag No 2/1702 of Mouza No.2 of Block No 9 of Dimapur.
A memorandum was submitted to Executive Engineer, PWD (Housing) in this regard for allotment of land for GPS on November 6, 2012. In 2013, a restraining order was also given to NPF Women Wing for constructing house as the land was already allotted for construction of the school.
With the urgent need for proper classroom, construction of the school at the said plot of land started and the inaugural programme for the new school was scheduled today, according to the concerned authority of the school.
However, the event was cut short with restraining order from the office of DC Dimapur.
The elders and council members of the ward pointed out that under Right to Education (RTE) State rule 4: Areas or Limits of Neighborhood (d) local authority shall be responsible to relocate the school if the school happens to be on the disaster prone area such as landslides, flood, difficult terrain etc which may endanger life of children. Deploring the impasse, they questioned if the department could locate land for the NPF Party than why not for the welfare/education of the children.
The teacher in charge Ahoi Sema lamented that during the rainy season the students are compelled to return home because of the poor infrastructure. Adding to this woe, the present classroom (stockade) does not have toilets or proper drinking water.
The teachers and elders present affirmed that since the classroom materials have been shifted to the new proposed school, they refuse to bring it back to the previous classroom (stockade) and said that they will continue to take up classes in the open air at Children’s park, Landmark Colony.
“The value of children is being neglected and generation of children is being killed” stated the aggrieved parents and teachers. Since most of the children come from underprivileged families, the concerned teachers and elders acknowledged that the ‘fight is not against the administration but the department’.
The present school (Stockade) has six classrooms (with dividing wall) with 10 staff and 70 children from class A-IV. T
The administration has given a restraining order on any further steps/interference on the department land till further orders and to produce supporting documents over the said land within 7 days so as to bring solution to the issue.
Officials of Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU), Landmark colony chairman, Talilemba, Residency Colony Chairman Simon Kelio and Midland Colony Chairman, Aosanen were present at the venue along with aggrieved parents, teachers and the students.
In yet another blow to a government run institution, the oldest government school of the state ‘Government Town Middle School’ located at Half Nagarjan Dimapur was found vandalized by unknown miscreants on the night of 23rd February around 9.30 pm. Three classroom windows were found smashed and it was found that miscreants forced themselves inside the school gate.
The school authorities on Monday lodged an FIR at East Police Station Dimapur and teachers lamented that because of this ugly incident students had missed two days class which in a way had affected their daily class routine.
The school was upgraded to middle school last year and has students’ up to eight standard. The motive behind this damage could not be maintained according to the staffs of the school.
