TURA, Aug 17: Shocking but true! Students from three different government schools in the South Garo Hills district are compelled to travel more than one hour of nightmarish road just to cover 22 kms to appear in their annual Class XII HSSLC exams in a centre located in another district.
And this has been going on for years, ever since they were allocated the HSSLC exam centre in Dalu town of West Garo Hills.
Dozens of students from the government higher secondary schools located at Gasuapara, Sibbari and Rugapara villages of South Garo Hills have to rush for time and experience a back breaking journey as they travel from their region to Dalu over a road that has been riddled with gigantic potholes and stripped of its tarmac over years of neglect.
Many students depend on three wheeler auto rickshaws or buses to commute from their homes to the exam centre and what would usually take half an hour can stretch well over an hour.
“If we travel by autos it takes much much longer trying to avoid the potholes, and though buses are more convenient it is difficult to get into one due to limited numbers. We also have to rush for time,” lamented some students who experienced the ordeal.
As per the guidelines set up by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE), it is mandatory for students to appear for their finals from designated centres of the board, and Dalu Government Higher Secondary School has been the centre for these affected schools since 2012.
To avoid the bad roads, students have to hire private vehicles to go through a better but longer border road since public transport does not pass through it.
But even the border road is plagued with elephant movement in several pockets and cases of attacks on humans have risen over the years. This year there have already been two deaths in the elephant infested route.
Meanwhile, the A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) organization has moved the MBOSE officials to bring the centre closer home.
AHAM leaders met with MBOSE Controller of Examinations T Laloo in Tura on Thursday to apprise him of the problem.
They pointed out to him that the three main government schools whose students use to travel to Dalu to appear in the finals have chosen Gasuapara as the preferred venue for the HSSLC exams and want MBOSE to take necessary steps to establish the new exam centre in the interest of the student community.
“Dalu is 22 kms away located in another district and students from Gasuapara, Sibbari and Rugapara are enduring immense financial difficulties in travel as well as losing precious time. It is time changes are made taking into consideration the well being of the children,” stated AHAM central executive board headquarters general secretary R Marak.
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