As schools reopen after disaster, green lessons inform lived reality

Sukhiapokhri: Her school, the Balasun Bhanjyang Forest Primary School under the Jorebungalow-Sukhia Pokhri block, was swept away on Oct 4 and now lies buried under mud and debris. Micchen Sherpa, a Class 4 student, started school again on Monday with an from a room at a building that used to be an ICDS centre but now serves as a circle office."The roads to our new school are slippery and muddy. I feel bad that our school was hit by a landslide and had to shift here. I had been studying at the school since UKG," said Sherpa. Reflecting on her lesson for the day, she said landslides were nature's warning against deforestation and indiscriminate dumping of garbage."The landslide happened because of cutting of trees and throwing of garbage everywhere," said Sherpa. For her, the lesson on the environment has informed her lived reality in a manner that is bound to leave a deep impact.Schools across Darjeeling opened on Monday. Teachers and students trickled into classrooms. When TOI visited Sherpa's classroom, students could be seen sitting close together with their eyes darting between the teacher and the rain-streaked windows. They were shaken but determined to continue.Zigmier Thami, a Class 1 student, said his teacher had to escort him to school because the roads were in bad shape. Saisshre Rai, a UKG student, said her mother carried her through the slippery path. Despite the devastation, teachers said they have managed to salvage school documents even though the building was gone.Nanukeshang Sherpa, the headmistress, said, "We did not want the children to lose touch with learning, so we shifted to the circle office and made arrangements for mid-day meals, toilets at the nearby health centre and a basic classroom setup." "We may have lost our school building but we have not lost our spirit — or our children's will to learn," she added.At the century-old Maharani School in Darjeeling, work has begun to rebuild the portion of the school compound and boundary wall that were damaged in the rains. Darjeeling municipality chairman Dipen Thakuri visited the school on Monday."Since the school was closed during the holidays, we were unaware of the extent of the damage. After it reopened during festivities, the teachers informed us. We have inspected the site and will extend all necessary assistance," Thakuri said.