AAP Shows Deplorable Picture Of Schools In Jorhat District

HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Sept 10: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said that the Congress and BJP in the State had in the past two decades destroyed the education system in the State.
Addressing a press meet at the Jorhat Press Club here on Friday, AAP State coordinator Dibyajyoti Sarmah said that at a time when maximum stress should be laid on education it was seen that this sector was in the most deplorable condition in the State.
Referring to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s invitation to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to come to Assam and see for himself the condition of schools here, Dibyajyoti Sarmah said that AAP had done a survey of eight schools on its own and found that most of these were in a state of malaise.
Out of the eight schools – Cinnamara Tea Estate LP School, Bishnupur Mazdoor LP school, Chandrakamal Mazdoor ME School, Harijan LP school, Jonaki LP School and Kakojan Dagaon MOBC ME School, were in the worst condition, the AAP coordinator said.
Showing photographs of each, Sarmah said, “In one there was a gaping hole in the roof from which sunlight was streaming down into the classroom, another had a similar huge hole in the wall made of reed (torja). In another school there were no classrooms and in one big hall all students of Classes 1 to 9 were being taught their lessons. In this school the LP school had been merged with and ME school and there were a huge number of students being taught in a chaotic condition.”
He further said that in almost no school was there an employee to ring the bell to denote change of a period or start and end of school with the school headmasters having to do this duty apart from making tea as well.
Sarmah, showing another photograph, further said that due to lack of chairs, in one school students were seen sitting on sacks of rice and that in most schools there was only one toilet which served for the boys, the girls and the teachers, in violation of the Right to Education Act.
Regarding the Cinnamara Tea Estate LP School, Sarmah said that the headmaster had managed to get most of the furniture, desks and benches, the main table and even build part of the infrastructure with the help of sponsors like Rotary Club, ONGC, etc.
“So what contribution does the Government have in its making?” he questioned adding the environment in which the school was situated was also deplorable, with a stinking pool of slush located at the back.
“Almost none of the LP schools have libraries and there are also no laboratories in the secondary level schools,” he added.
“If the State cannot provide proper educational facilities then what other services can be expected,” Sarmah said
Regarding Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma’s claim that his Government had set up the largest number of schools in the State, Sarmah said that the Government had only provincialised about 7,000 schools which were already in existence.
“On the other hand the Government has closed down the large number of schools in the State, more than 1000, out of which Jorhat district has the highest tally that is 168,” Sarmah alleged.
Sarmah said that AAP had the aim of making the four important pillars on which society rested – potable water, electricity, health facilities and education in Government Schools free of cost to the people.