For the Lhop people in Ngawang Dramtoe in Samtse, the wait for a university graduate from their community continues, at least for a couple more years. The community is grappling with the problem of its children leaving school before completing high school.
23-year-old Pento Tshering Doya left school last year after he failed in seventh grade. Now, he is home, helping his parents.
“I left school as I was ill. I also could neither afford to study nor perform well in studies. My parents are not well off. I tried to manage work and school when I was in class six but it was difficult,” he said.
Like Pento Tshering Doya, there are around 30 Lhops in Ngawang Dramtoe who dropped school.
The nearest school for the community is Taba Dramtoe Lower Secondary School. It currently has 222 Lhop students. Due to the fact that the school was started only in 2006, some students in classes seven and eight are as old as 18 years.
Our correspondent in Samtse met with the school authority and found that the school is bringing in health workers, police and teachers to advocate parents on the importance of education. The school has also encouraged parents to enrol their children as boarding students if they cannot afford to send them to school as day scholars.
“Starting 2017 and 2018, Lhops leaving my school has come down. Before the number was high since the parents did not understand the importance of education. Besides, they needed extra hands in herding cattle in the village and sending children to school was beyond their means,” said Wangchuk, the Principal at Taba Dramtoe LSS in Samtse.
Meanwhile, back in Ngawang-Dramtoe, Pento Tshering Doya finds solace in the tunes of his dramngyen. Like many of his fellow villagers, for him as well, the dream of becoming the community’s first university graduate is now distant.
Sherub Dorji
