Imphal East JNV in limbo
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 03 2014: Imphal East Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) located at Yaralpat is anything but school.

Hostel dormitories are too small and congested that students don't find space for reading.

Hostel walls are made of split bamboo or bamboo mats and the students have been making holes to let in air and cool themselves at night.

School compound fence is also made of split bamboo and many of them have now collapsed.

Students of the school have been using water from a pond which is fully overgrown with reeds and other water plants.

All the hostels, class rooms as well as rooms for teaching and non-teaching staff are in complete shambles.

Students of JNV Imphal East which is under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India have been studying there under adverse physical and environmental conditions.

JNV Yaralpat was set up in 2002 and it started with a kutcha building whose walls were made of split bamboo or bamboo mats.

Construction of a pucca building for JNV Imphal East was started at Yaral hill in 2005-06 .

Even though the school building construction work was targeted for completion by 2008, it still remains complete.

As a result, students and teachers of the schools have been enduring all kinds of miseries all these years.

Enraged by the adverse and inhuman conditions to which their wards are being subjected to, parents of JNV Imphal East students today staged a protest demonstration at the gate of the school demanding completion of school building construction by September this year, black topping of the approach road, provision of safe water and dedicated power line to the school.

JNV Yaralpat Imphal East Parents' Association secretary S Juge said that they would apprise the Ministry of Human Resources Development and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights if the school's permanent building is not completed and the students not shifted to the new building by September.

The parents submitted a memorandum to the Navodaya Samiti in November last year for completion of school building construction.

Whereas construction work of the permanent building drags on for years, the temporary building was never repaired.

There have been several instances of snakes sneaking into class rooms.

A lady teacher was once bitten by a snake inside class room, Juge said.

JNV's of other districts of Manipur are of grade A and their intake capacity is 80 students for all classes (Class VI -XII).

But JNV Imphal East is given grade B and its intake capacity is limited to just 40 students for each class.

For connection of a dedicated power line to the school, a sum of Rs 19.67 lakh was deposited with Electricity Department on October 5, 2013, but no dedicated power line has been connected to the school so far, and potable water facility still remains elusive, Juge lamented.

One boy student said that they don't have any space for reading as all the dormitories are crowded in addition to being very hot.

Not all students are given tables and chairs.

Even if students brought tables and chairs from their homes, they don't have space to lay them out.

Unable to bear the hot, student have been making holes near their respective beds in order to let in air and cool themselves.

The students have no other option but read on their beds.

Amusana, mother of a student, lamented that the existing condition of JNV Yaralpat is really disappointing.

She said that she is always worried if any snake would sneak in, if he kutcha structure would break down or if her son would be able to read or if he would be able to bear the heat etc.

Another guardian said that many students have been suffering from skin rash because of using unsafe water and the parents have been continually supplying anti-rash and anti-mosquito drugs and chemicals.

Nonetheless, JNV Yaralpat Principal Anshumam Singh claimed that construction work of the school building would be completed at the earliest.

There are Vidyalaya Management Committees for each and every district with respective DCs as chairman to look after JNVs, and the Principal exuded that the concerned district management committee would take up necessary measures to improve the existing sorry state at JNV Yaralpat.

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