Ukhrul: Amid a growing concern, students from Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul district have appealed to authorities for urgent intervention, as ongoing gunfire has severely disrupted their education.
On Friday, students and teachers from three schools, Model English School Sinakeithei, Sinakeithei Chingshang High School & Primary School, and Chi-Ching MK Academy, came together to voice their concerns and desperations.
The peaceful protest was held at one of the schools in the village as other schools remain exposed to bullet threats from gunfire originating from the nearby Lungter Hill range, suspected to be fired by Kuki armed groups.
Due to the relentless firing attacks in the village, schools in Sinakeithei have been unable to conduct normal class. As a result, parents have been compelled to send their children to Ukhrul town or other safer area for their studies.
According to Bernice Zingchon Nancy Rungsung, headminstress of Sinakeithei Primary School, students who remained in the village staged the protest to draw attention of concerned authorities and government leaders, expressing their anguish and dissatisfaction with the government’s inaction.
“Our students are no longer learning, they are only surviving. We are constantly living in fear, not knowing when the next attack will occur,” said Rungsung.
The headminstress of Sinakeithei Primary School also said that following the unrest, the school enrolment has dropped from 450 to only 138 students now.
Rungsung said that the present situation demonstrates that education, a fundamental right of every child, has become a luxury rather than a right in the village. Not every family has the means to send their children outside the village for safety and schooling, leaving many children deprived of their rights. This constant attack has taken away the children’s right to education.
“What was once a neutral zone for education has become a battlefield today,” she lamented.
Students, teachers, and parents united in calling for a safe environment and urging the government to restore peace, ensure safety, protect education, and safeguard their future.
Students expressed that they can no longer go to school and learn as they used to, since lessons can be abruptly halted by gunfire. Moreover, playing outdoor games has become impossible, as they fear for bullets coming from several surrounding directions.
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Meanwhile, the situation has compelled parents, especially the men, to devote themselves to guarding the village from attacks, leaving their children at home. This has made the children yearn for the presense of their parents amid the unrest.
“I want my father to come home and sleep like before,” a young student said, now moving from one house to another for safety.
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