Khliehriat, Oct 27: The village of Lumshken in East Jaintia Hills has a functional school. Just about.
The Government Lower Primary School there caters to 97 students who are crammed into a small, comfortless classroom with just two teachers handling multiple classes simultaneously. Five students squeeze onto a single bench, struggling to write and stifled by an unhealthy environment.
Many schools in Meghalaya, especially rural ones, suffer similar problems – lack of teachers, too many students, collapsing buildings, no electricity, etc. The case of Lumshken, however, demonstrates how far-reaching the issues at this level have knock-on effects further down the line.
The village school was established in 1958 but its poor state has led to numerous dropouts. Village secretary Yoowest Khaïi attributes the 70 per cent annual dropout rate to the lack of a suitable school and financial difficulties of the parents to seek education in Khliehriat or Jowai.
Khaïi lamented Lumshken’s grim literacy rate, with no government employees from the village. He urged the government to build a bigger school with adequate classrooms, improving the environment for students and teachers.
Where the government has been found lacking, the village has stepped in. Lumshken’s community has supported education, in 2011, established a school for classes 5-8 at its own expense. Three teachers are paid for by Dorbar Shnong, with Special Rural Works Programme assistance, conducting classes at the community hall.
Teachers DK Lyngdoh and Drosila Lamo highlighted challenges due to space constraints. They acknowledged Bosco Integrated Development Society (BIDS)’ support in sending a teacher to assist.
Now the villagers want a secondary school. So far, their appeal has not been met despite a formal letter to the Deputy Commissioner.
Meghalaya ranks, by some measures, as the worst state in the country for education. Fixing schools in places like Lumshken has to be part of the solution.
