DARJEELING, : Despite the presence of
heaters in schools conducting the Madhyamik examinations in Darjeeling
district, students were unable to use them due to the lack of proper electrical
connections.
The Madhyamik examinations
began today and will continue until February 22.
An official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, stated, “Heaters were provided last year for the
examinations and they are present in every school hosting the exams. However,
they could not be used today as these schools lack the required three-phase
electricity connection, which is necessary for operating heaters. Most schools
only have a two-phase connection. We are working on resolving this issue, and
it should be sorted out by tomorrow.”
The official also informed out
that pending electricity bills from last year’s examinations remain unpaid as
schools have not received financial assistance from the government to cover
them. However, schools in Bijanbari and Sukhia have three-phase electricity
connections, enabling them to provide heating facilities. The issue mainly affects
schools in Darjeeling town.
This year, 4,809 students
across 36 examination centres in Darjeeling district are appearing for the
Madhyamik examination. Among them, 2,400 are male and 2,409 are female.
Officials informed that there has been a decline in student numbers compared to
last year.
Several students expressed
their discomfort due to the cold weather. PushpaRai, a student of St. Michael’s
Higher Secondary School, whose examination centre is Municipal Boys’ High
School, said, “It was very cold today and no heater was provided in the examination
centre.”
Similarly, Yangchen Sherpa, a
student of Nepali Girls Higher Secondary School, said, “No heater was provided
in our centre at St. Michael’s School. It was very cold today and it was
difficult to write the exam as our hands were freezing.”
