School lacks proper building, authorities forced to accommodate students in a class

Subash Bhauk

Pankhabari March 20: In a society where education is of utmost importance especially in the hill villages that has been deprived of basic civic amenities, a school at Painakumari Jote 9 kms from Garidhura in the outskirts of Kurseong is being run in a single classroom since the past many years.

Bhagat Adarsh Hindi Tribal Primary School is in dire need for a proper building so that it could teach the students in separate classes. The other rooms had been blushed by a tusker some years back while one of the walls collapsed.  “The absence of a proper building is hampering a lot to the students as we cannot not teach them in separate classes. At present there is only one class room and all the students from all the classes has to be fit in a single class room,” says Uttam Thapa, an assistant teacher of the school.

The school that is upto standard IV presently has 232 students who come from places like Painakumari, Mallivitta and Simulbarie. The school earlier had five teachers who run the school but the number has rosed to 12 after the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) recruited teachers in most of the primary school in the hills.

“We want the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to look into the matter as soon as possible so that the students get good environment for study. Since most of the villages here has tribal population who are very week there a quality education is a must. We have apprised the GTA councillor of the area regarding the matter,” added the teacher.

However, the kitchen that the school has within the premises and is used for cooking mid-day meals is also in a bad shape. “Most of the time there is always a threat that a tusker may attack the kitchen for its food. The walls are not so strong and it is an easy task for the tusker to attack the kitchen,” said Thapa. The authorities of the school stocks there commodities in the kitchen and that could be attracting the tusker.

Thapa said that during monsoon the school management has to forcibly close down the school as water sips into the classroom and it becomes impossible for the authorities to accommodate the students.