JSU flags major lapses at Kiang Nangbah HSS, calls for immediate action

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 9, 2025

The Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU), Jowai Circle, has raised serious concern over the poor state of affairs at Kiang Nangbah Government Higher Secondary School in Mynthong, Jowai pointing to several unresolved issues that continue to affect the institution’s overall functioning and academic environment.

Led by president Borntifulson Rupon and general secretary Mewario Pyrtuh, the JSU met with the District School Education Officer (DSEO) to highlight what it described as critical and long-standing problems at the school.

Among the most pressing are severe infrastructure deficiencies, shortage of teaching staff, budget anomalies, and lack of basic facilities.

During a recent inspection of the school, the JSU found that the institution lacks the infrastructure needed to accommodate its large student population. Classrooms are insufficient, the computer lab is severely undersized with only ten functional computers for fifty students, there are no smart classrooms or digital learning tools, and the library is poorly equipped—limiting access to learning resources.

The shortage of faculty is equally alarming. In the morning section, only one teacher is responsible for teaching over 350 students, while language teachers are stretched thin as they are made to cover all three streams—Arts, Science, and Commerce—due to the absence of stream-specific staff. Teachers appointed since 2018 are still paid a fixed amount of Rs 15,000 per month (Rs 14,500 after deductions), without any official pay scale or regularisation.

The day section currently accommodates around 520 students—350 in Arts, 120 in science, and 50 in Commerce—but only four small classrooms are available for science and two for Commerce. Overcrowding has made it increasingly difficult to maintain a proper academic atmosphere.

Adding to the complications is the unclear status of the school’s land, which remains unresolved between B.Ed authority and Higher Secondary School jurisdiction. This has resulted in administrative confusion and stalled development projects. The JSU also raised concern over the classification of assistant lecturers under the BEAM system, where they are placed under Object Head 02 (Wages) instead of Object Head 01 (Salaries), which prevents them from being regularised and receiving appropriate pay benefits. Lab assistants are paid only Rs 10,000 a month with no job security, while the school’s sole security guard is being paid from student fees, receiving just Rs 7,000 per month—exposing the lack of government-funded support for essential services.

The JSU has demanded immediate steps to address these issues. These include expansion of classrooms, establishment of smart classrooms and updated laboratories, upgrading of the library, recruitment of adequate teaching staff, correction of salary classifications under BEAM, proper recruitment of office staff through the District Selection Committee, and government funding for non-teaching staff. The union has also called for clarity on the land ownership to enable future development.

The DSEO has assured that the matter will be taken up with higher authorities for necessary action. The JSU, while welcoming the assurance, stated that the current condition of the school is unacceptable and that it will continue to monitor the situation and press for reforms to ensure that students and staff are given the learning environment and working conditions they deserve.