Assam: Govt School Children in Jorhat Deprived of all Facilities wait for "Acche Din"

Titabor, March 15, 2020:

At a time when the BJP-led Central Government is claiming to have brought a "development agenda" to the Northeast Indian state of Assam, people will be surprised to know that the Government's education infrastructure continues to lie in shambles.

In Jorhat's Titabor, for instance, the deplorable condition of kids in a Government school has come to light in one of the schools being run under the aegis of the current regime, the Primary School in Bandarchaliha Tea Estate. The school was set up in 1985 by an enterprising local, and although it was adopted by the Government almost a decade back in 2013, the poor people running the school are yet to receive any financial aid. Almost 50 village children are admitted in 5 classes in the school, but their all-round development is being heavily curbed due to a lack of fund and infrastructure.

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The headmaster of the school, Bishnuram Gogoi, who founded the school to teach local kids, shares "This school was started in 1985, I started it alone. Then, a female teacher joined; she taught for six years and then was unable to continue for some reason; then, I ran it again for five years. Although we were affiliated in 2013, we are yet to receive any funds from the Government. The Panchayat, upon being approached, said they have no funds. Then, again with the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, it was a similar story."

When students in metropolitan centres are being accorded smart classrooms so that they can develop their faculties via the aid of cutting technology, these poor Assam kids have nothing. In fact, they do not even have desks and benches, and unfortunately, have to squat on the floor. Their 'school' is simply a thatch house that could be blown away by a strong gust of wind and at several places, the tiny hut where they study bears a bruised and tattered look. In fact, one could be forgiven for mistaking the Assam school building for a cow-shed.

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This is all the more surprising because time and again, the Assam's Education Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been seen chiding Government school teachers for an alleged lack of commitment and dedication towards their duties. Thus, despite the Government's tall claims of ushering in development and working for the downtrodden, this rather pitiable condition of a house of education where poor children study seems to have gone unnoticed. Moreover, at a time when more and more parents are turning towards private institutions for quality education, stories like these will further dissuade parents from enrolling their wards in the dreaded Government schools.

Moreover, there have been reports of massive financial irregularities and other management issues in some of these institutions. Governing bodies of many of these institutions have reportedly remained defunct. This has badly affected the academic atmosphere in most such institutions. There have been financial irregularities and other academic problems in some degree colleges too.

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