Kalimpong Primary Teachers Training Institute or BT College has been a victim of administrative negligence
since the past many years. An institute which helps in making a trained
and proficient teacher has been surrounded by many problems for long,
but the concerned department has not been able to do anything yet. The
college lacks proper hostel, training block, administrative facilities
and teaching staff along with drinking water, fencing and many other
issues.
Rajen Gurung, a student at the
institute, says the hostel has 4 rooms, which is shared by 37 students.
“We have to manage everything within this four rooms, be it study, sleep
or other chores,” he claimed.
BT College was burned down on February
18, 1988 in the wake of the violent agitation during the first statehood
movement and since then it has been neglected. The administrative block
is still not completely renovated and is in an unusable condition, due
to which the male hostel is doubled up as a classroom for the students.
Although, the students are directed to use the hostel, the college
administration has been forced to allow many students to stay outside
due to the lack of proper facilities.
College principle Manindra Bhujel
informed apart from Kalimpong, the college has students from Dooars,
Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and other places. “Since many of the students from
these places come from underprivileged families, they cannot afford to
stay outside or take admissions at other institutes. Therefore, the
concerned department has to think about revamping the institute and
provide proper facilities to the students,” he observed. Bhujel further
informed the college has written many a times to the state government
and regional administration, but has not received any response.
Bhujel said the administrative works
usually done by District School Board, ISF School, District Inspector of
School and other departments are being done by college staff, despite
the absence of trained professionals to carry out the task. The main
reason for proper development of students is due to the lack of these
facilities, he claimed.
The BT College was established in 1950
along Ringkingpong road in Chandralokh, Kalimpong under the
Comprehensive Education and Development programme of the first 5-year
plan by the central government. The main aim of the programme was to
help youths to get trained in special skills to become self sustained.
Initially the college has a capacity of 60 students, but during the
second 5-year plan the capacity was increased to 120.(EOIC)