Students completing class eight from Minjiwoong lower secondary school in Serthi Gewog under Jomotshangkha Dungkhag have no other option but to go all the way Samdrup Jongkhar to continue their studies. This is because there is no middle secondary school in Serthi Gewog. Now, both parents and students are requesting the concerned authority to upgrade their school, at least to a middle secondary school.
The students either are placed in Orong higher secondary school in Orong Gewog or Karmaling higher secondary school in Samdrupcholing Dungkhag. Both schools are more than 200 kilometres away from Jomotshangkha. For the parents it means more expenses and said their lives would become easier if their school could be upgraded.
Although the students have an option of studying at Jomotshangkha middle secondary school the school doesn’t have boarding facility.
“It would be a lot easier. Our children need not go all the way to Samdrup Jongkhar to study and we need not spend more,” said one of the parents, Ngawang Chogay.
Another parent, Tenzin Dorji, said apart from expenses, there are also safety concerns. “Our children have to travel through India.”
During strikes in India, traveling becomes risky.
The Serthig Gup, Kencho Chopel, said the Dzongkhag Tshogdu had already approved up-gradation of the school. He said several discussions had taken place in the Tshogdu and he had no idea why the decision is not being implemented.
Meanwhile, the Dzongkhag education officer said the school would be upgraded only in 2017. That means both the parents and the students will have to wait for another three years to see their upgraded.
