For several years, the formation of stagnant water from seasonal spring sources has been causing significant inconvenience for the school authority and parents of Rangthangling Primary School in Tsirang. This perennial issue involves the underground water filling the school’s assembly ground. The school management took the initiative to address the problem by reaching out to the district and Rangthangling gewog administrations since 2017, seeking assistance in resolving the problem. However, as of now, no action has been taken on site.
The problem arises during the monsoon when spring water bursts from the underground points, partially submerging the school’s assembly ground. This has raised concerns among both the school authority and parents, particularly regarding the safety of the children.
During the peak monsoon, the water levels rise significantly, posing a risk to the students.
“I saw students facing difficulties during the assembly time due to stagnant water in their assembly ground. Another challenge is that students often slip and fall when the ground becomes muddy and slippery. As a result, teachers send them home to change their clothes,” said Pema Wangchuk, a guardian of one of the students.
“It is a problem, especially for those students coming from distant places. They have to attend classes with drenched clothes because they cannot return home to change,” said Tshering Yangchen, a parent.
The school authority said that there was no water outflow issue in 2019, 2020 and the previous year except in 2021.
However, the periodic waterlogging hampers the school management in conducting morning assemblies and organising outdoor activities.
Currently, the morning assembly takes place in the dining hall.
Two years ago, BBS ran a news report on this matter after the school authority and parents raised safety concerns regarding the problem. In response, the district education sector told BBS that they were aware of the issue and would resolve it promptly. However, even after two years, no action has been taken on the ground.
Meanwhile, the district’s chief education officer over a telephone interview said that budget constraints hindered the prioritization of the issue.
However, much to the relief of the school authority and parents, the Rangthangling Gewog administration has decided to address the problem.
The gewog has allocated Nu 600,000 to create a safe learning environment for students and teachers. The Gup said the works will commence once the monsoon is over.
“The matter was discussed during the chiwog meeting after the school principal and parents raised the issue. It was also discussed in the Gewog Tshogde as an urgent matter that need immediate attention. For now, we have requested an engineer to visit the site and provide a cost estimate for the project,” said Leela Raj Sunwar, Rangthangling Gup.
Established in 2014, Rangthangling Primary School currently has 169 students.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
Edited by Sonam Pem
