Chakma students in an Arunachal school forced to move out within days after admission

By Tejang Chakma

IN A shocking move, 38 Chakma students of a government higher secondary school in Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh have been forced to move out of the school on July 18, 2012. The students were admitted in the school during 1st to 7th July 2012 pursuant to the directions of the National Commission for Protection ofChild Rights (NCPCR), the apex child rights body in the country.

The school in question is Government Higher Secondary School, Kharsang under Miao sub-division in Changlang district. Following interventions by the NCPCR, the Principal of this school in an undated notice informed the Chakma students of respective feeder schools to take admission. Subsequently, 38 Chakma students hailing from Ratnapur, Golukpur and Milapur villages under Kharsang circle were admitted in the school. Out of the 38 students, 20 students are girls. While at least eight are students of previous academic session (2011-2012) who already lost one academic year due to denial of admission.

Prior to this shocking decision, the Principal of Government Higher Secondary School, Kharsang called the village headmen of the three villages of Ratnapur, Golokpur and Milanpur to his office and directed them to transfer their children to Guatampur Middle school under Diyun circle which has been recently upgraded up to class IX. The Principal informed the village headmen that he has been instructed by the Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE), Changlang vide order dated 11 July 2012 to move out the Chakma students.

It is important to mention here that the up-gradation of Government Middle School to Class 9th is still in paper only. The Government Middle School, Gautampur is one of the 15 One-Section Schools approved during the 13th meeting of Project Approval Board (PAB) for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) held on 12th July, 2011. The cost of each of the school is Rs. 46.86 lakh. However, the construction of classrooms is yet is start and there are no teachers to teach the class 9th students.

It is learnt that the DDSE, Changlang vide his order dated 11 July 2012 has also instructed the Principal of Government Higher Secondary School, Miao to move out 14 Chakma students admitted in the school following the NCPCR orders. There are 13 Chakma students from Government Middle School, a feeder school to Government Higher Secondary School, Miao who were refused admission in this school due to so-called confusion over jurisdiction.

This means that Gautampur school will have to accommodate 65 students without classrooms and teachers. At least two sections will be required apart from each subject teacher. The condition of Gautampur school is already dismal just like any other schools in Chakma areas. Currently, only four teachers are teaching a total of 635 children from Classes 1 to 8.

In the absence of classrooms the transferred Chakma students are most likely to be accommodated in the school’s common room, while the existing four junior teachers will have to teach the secondary students. In addition, these students have to walk a distance of more than 20 km (to and fro) daily to attend the school. There is also risk to their lives as they have to cross twice the turbulent Noa-Dihing river, which divides the Gautampur school with the three schools at Miao, Kharsang and Dharmapur.

These facts have been completely ignored by the concerned authorities and the action reflects racial discrimination with respect to the Chakmas. Not a single Chakma student has been admission in secondary schools in Miao and Kharsang circles since 1994 solely because of the ethnic origin. As a result, a number of Chakma students in these two circles have been involuntarily dropping out. Last year, at least 88 Chakma students, including 27 girls, had to drop out. Even the 52 students were reluctantly admitted in the two schools earlier this month at the intervention of the NCPCR.

Apart from the blatant violations of the NCPCR’s order, the actions violate the provisions of the Constitution of India, RMSA and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, in which India is a party.

Published in Merinews, 19 July 2012