While the centre has made it mandatory to have basic amenities, including separate toilets for girls, in government schools under Right to Education (RTE) Act, most of the government schools in the state are lagging behind in implementation.
Two government schools- Government High School, and Government Primary School (GPS) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the state capital, were found to be lacking basic amenities. The classrooms were found without doors and windowpanes, irregular attendance of teachers, students were charged admission fee etc.
When this Correspondent visited the GHS at around 9.30 a.m., teachers of classes (A, B, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8) were found absent and students were seen playing outside. Usually, the classes start from 9 a.m.
Teachers who did not want to be named, said the ratio of student-teacher in the school is 30:1, however the teachers were not maintaining punctuality.
Since the school has not received teachers grant and school maintenance grant, students were charged with nominal admission fees to cover the cost of maintaining the school, they said.
Pointing out to lack of proper infrastructure in accommodating more students, they also apprised that the school was yet to receive textbooks for this academic session, for which the students have no other option but to use old textbooks.
It was also learnt from them that since no cook is available to provide Mid Day Meal (MDM), food grains were distributed among the students.
In GHS, presently the school was without headmaster and only an assistant head master appointed in February last was running the school.
GPS SSA also lamented on the irregularities of teachers, where some classes were seen without teachers.
Teachers in this school had to adjust on “mutual understanding”, where school’s carpenter and physical education teacher teach in lower section and drawing teacher in middle section, they said.
They also said that there were only five teachers in middle section, which does not suffice according to the number of students.
The school was also yet to receive textbooks for the current academic year and students were charged admission fee due to “lack of grant for maintenance of school’s electricity, water supply, sweeper, furniture and stationeries”. GPS SSA building constructed in 2012 was also without windowpanes and doors in some classes.
With no playground, assembly, sports and other extra-curricular activities could not be conducted for the students. Even the free uniforms provided for 2016 were unstitched, the teachers added.
It may be mentioned that according to Nagaland Right of Children of Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, “free education” means no child shall be liable to pay admission, tuition, examination and other fees which may prevent him or her from pursuing and complementing elementary education and includes textbooks, one time writing materials with minimum requirement in an academic session and uniform as prescribed by the implementing authority from time to time.