A CORRESPONDENT
Issues related to infrastructure and basic needs of the government schools are a never ending topic in the state which is familiar to everyone. Like rest of the schools in the state, Dem Government Middle School under Yachuli constituency which was established way back in the year 1978 as primary school with just a bamboo thatch hut needs much attention too.
Later in the year 1988 these huts were upgraded to SPT buildings. Since then the school remained neglected and unattended. Although later in the year 1991 the school was upgraded to Middle School, the misery of the school remained same though. Local representative of 16th Yachuli constituency Likha Saya earlier on August 12 in a village outreach programme at the Dem village informed that around 1.5 Crore was earmarked for the infrastructure and school development under Samastra Sikhsha Abhiyaan (SSA) for the entire constituency will be released soon. "This is really good news that the local representative and the State government are concerned about the school and the students but there are other needs which the headmaster of the school Licha Mehin told to this daily."
The normal grants provided by the State government for the school maintenance and teachers which used to come have been stagnant for around three years. The school has around 30 students enrolled till now. "Earlier maintenance grant was provided around Rs 15,000, school grant for primary Rs. 5,000, for middle school it was Rs. 7,000 and for every individual teacher Rs. 500, but since 3 years these all has never came for the school," Mehin said.
The State government can say that sufficient teachers are engaged in various schools of the district, but this particular middle school at Dem village lack teachers. To bridge the gap of teachers, headmaster along with other staff has to teach two subjects each for all the students. Basic amenities like benches and desk are provided or sometimes donated by the villagers. The black board, ceiling and toilet are in a pathetic condition.
Since two years the school has not provided mid-day meal to the students as there are anomalies in the distribution. When approached to the district office they suggest approaching the Fair Price Agency and when approached the agency they ask to consult the contractor which makes it harder to avail. "According to the government norms the Mid-Day meal should be dispatched at the school, but this is not experienced in reality. As per enrollment they should maximum get 50 kg of rice but as after making rounds at various office and persons the only quantity we get is around 10-20 kg," Mehin added.