After eight years of construction and encountering multiple delays, the two 120-bed hostels at Samdrup Jongkhar’s Garpawoong Middle Secondary School are finally complete. Originally scheduled for completion in 2017, the Nu 32 M project encountered numerous obstacles, including a court battle between the district administration and a contractor. The District Education Office and the school management are planning to open the hostel for students after the mid-term break.
Construction on the two hostels began in 2016. Missed deadlines, a court dispute between the district administration and the initial contractor, and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic left students and parents wondering when the hostel blocks would be completed.
Many parents in Dewathang spend about Nu 2,000 monthly hiring vehicles to transport their children to school.
With the hostels now ready, both students and parents are hopeful of a stable learning environment without the barrier of distance.
“We do not get enough time to study. If we get the hostel, we will get more time to study. When roads get blocked, it troubles both teachers and students. We cannot get to school on time. We struggled that way last year,” said Yeshi Lhendrup Dorji, a student.
“We used to face so many problems like floods and roadblocks. Now that the hostel is complete, we do not have to face those problems. We can study peacefully. If we stay in the hostel, we will have to follow the hostel schedule like morning and evening studies and we will improve,” said Megha Moti Ghalley, another student.
“It will be convenient. Teachers will teach and they will improve since they do not have to keep travelling. Even for us, parents, the expenses will reduce. Right now I send my children by taxi. Those who are well off can afford it but for someone like me, it is difficult to meet the expenses,” said Tshering, a parent.
Currently, work is ongoing to provide water connection to the two hostels.
Garpawoong Middle Secondary School operates as a day-feeding school, providing lunch for its students. The school management and the district education office have proposed for dinner stipend.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Sherub Dorji
