Anit Thapa wants to bring primary education on track in Darjeeling Hills

Yawan Gurung, EOI, Mirik, 3 August 2022: On Wednesday, the Hill Terai Primary Teachers' Association felicitated the newly elected sabhasads of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration from the Kurseong region.

The felicitation programme was held at the Town Community Hall in Kurseong's Nayabazar. "The priority of my work is to bring primary education on the right track," said GTA Chief Executive Anit Thapa while speaking at the event.

"I start my work from primary education. I was and still am within the GTA system since the 2007 Gorkhaland movement. But there are many differences between what I am and what I was. If the education system here is not good, the hills will deteriorate even more. If we fix the system here, it will be easier for whoever comes after me".

He said: "After August 15, I will visit and inspect all the primary schools in the GTA area; how many children are in the school, how are they studying, whether the children are in school or not, whether our teachers are getting paid for teaching the children or not. To know all these things I will visit every school with the District Inspector." 

Emphasizing that there should be changes in primary education and schools, he said, "The future of you and our children is primary education. I have to fix primary education first. I am not trying to deal with the secondary schools now." 

He cited the instance of Mirik Soureni where parents were sending their children to government primary schools.

He said: "The hills belong to all of us. It is also in our hands to improve the hills. Do not let our primary education become like a dinosaur story that there was once a primary school in the hill which is now extinct".