AT Photo
Margherita, Jun 9: In a disheartening turn of events, Lal Babu Singh, the founder headmaster of Adarsha Vidya Mandir High School in Ledo, Assam, retired on May 31 without receiving any salary after 36 years of dedicated service.
The Assam Tribune visited Singh’s home in the Margherita sub-division of Tinsukia district. Singh who was appointed as the founding headmaster on January 2, 1988, shared his story of struggle and perseverance.
Despite the lower primary section of Adarsha Vidya Mandir being provincialized, the middle and high school sections remained non-provincialized, leaving him and many others without official recognition or pay.
Over the years, Singh repeatedly appealed to the then Education Minister and current Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, for the provincialization of the school. Though assurances were given that no school in Assam would remain non-provincialized, this promise has not been fulfilled yet.
Singh further highlighted that within the Margherita sub-division, 15 schools and 30 lower primary and middle schools remain non-provincialized. Following the lack of recognition, many teachers were compelled to take up alternative jobs such as selling vegetables, working as private security guards, or migrating to cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai in search of employment.
“Despite these hardships, the government in Assam has shown little interest in addressing the provincialization of these schools," Singh said.
