Gup accused him of taking the central school from Doongna to Kamji

Contention: Following accusation from the Doongna gup of influencing decision, the Phuentsholing MP Rinzin Dorji has justified the government’s plan to upgrade the Kamji Middle Secondary School into a central school.

Lyonchoen Tshering Tobgay, during a visit to Geling gewog last week, announced that Kamji would be upgraded to a central school.

The Dzongkhag Tshogdu (DT) had initially decided that the central school would be located in Doongna gewog. But the government earlier this year issued a notification stating that the central school would be established in Kamji, 25 kilometres from Phuentsholing, not in Doongna.

MP Rinzin Dorji justified that Kamji is an ideal location for establishment of a central location as the central school can be established at the lowest cost. He said the central school is about 25 kilometres from Phuentsholing and has provision to expand with the community already approving 30 acres of land. The school already has 20 acres.

MP Rinzin Dorji, who is from Geling gewog, where Kamji falls, said that having the central school in Kamji saves cost for the government as it already has infrastructures such as roads. He added that if the central school was to be established in Doongna it would cost the government about Nu 400 millions.

“Only 12 of the 49 kilometer road is good and children would go hungry during summer because the road is so bad,” he said. “No one would be interested to send their children to the school.”

Doongna Gup Lam Dorji said that Doongna was identified as the location for the central school in 2014 and that budget was also allocated. He said that 14 acres of land was also allocated for the school as identified by the Dzongkhag Tshogdu.

Lam Dorji said that the gewog office in October this year received a letter from the education ministry stating that the central school will be located to Kamji.  The gup maintains that the people in the gewog feel decision was influenced. “ The decision to shift the location of the central school came as a surprise as that the new location was declared without the decision of the Dzongkhag Tshogdu,” he said.

Education Officer Kinley Gyeltshen, said that the Dzongkhag Education Office had nothing to do with the decision to change the location of the central school.  He said that although the central school was initially planned in Doongna it was later notified that the school would be established Kamji.  “We just implement the activities as instructed by the ministry,” he said.

Refuting the allegations, MP Rinzin Dorji said it was not his decision to establish the central school in Kamji.  “I am a legislator, not decision-maker. Why should I influence the decision,” he said. “In fact, I want central schools in both the places. The central school came to Kamji because it has all the necessary infrastructure in place.”

The school in Kamji, he said would benefit the three gewogs of Lokchina, Sampheling and Geling and people wanted Kamji to be upgraded. He also said that Doonga is not neglected and the plan to upgrade the school in the gewog to a central school in not shelved. “

Rinzin Dorji said that it is good for the dzongkhag to have a central school in Kamji because the school can be upgraded into a college in future.

MB Subba