Nilu Subba and (below) Milan Chhetri. Pictures by Subhash Chandra Bose

Jaigaon, June 1: Nilu Subba’s father died when she was studying in Class IV, forcing her mother to leave for Bhadrapur in Nepal to live at a relative’s place.

However, Nilu and her sister Namrata returned to their aunt’s house in Kalchini block’s Hamiltonganj and started studying in Latabari Higher Secondary School. And this year, Nilu secured 710 marks (88.75 per cent) in the Madhyamik examination, only to be faced with an uncertain future as her aunt, an anganwadi worker, is unable to bear the expenses of further studies.

Nilu is not alone in her predicament. The Telegraph caught up with quite a few students who have passed the Higher Secondary or the Madhyamik examinations with good marks, but are afraid that they would have to cut short their education because of financial constraints.

For 16-year-old Nilu, hope lies with the headmaster of her school, Dwarika Sharma. “Nilu has done Kalchini block proud. I will see what I can do for her,” the headmaster of Latabari Higher Secondary School said.

“I want to study science in Higher Secondary, but I do not know if I will be able to. My sister studies in Class IX and she is also facing the same problem,” Nilu said.

Jitendra Sha, who studies in the same school, has secured 385 out of 500 (77 per cent) in the Higher Secondary examinations. The 19-year-old’s father, Badri Sha, is a cart-puller.

“I earn anything between Rs 50 and Rs 100 a day and have to support a six-member family. How can I look after my son’s higher education?” Badri asked.

“I don’t know how I will do it but I want to graduate from Alipurduar College and then find a job and end my father’s toils,” Jitendra said.

In neighbouring Madarihat block lies the Mujnai tea garden, closed since November 2007. Factory chowkidar, Rajnarayan’s son, Radhakrishna, has stunned everyone by securing 377 out of 500 (75.4 per cent) in the Higher Secondary examinations.

Every day, Radhakrishna rode 12km on his bicycle to reach Birpara Mahavir Hindi High School. “The most difficult time was during the rains when I had to battle the current of the Mujnai,” Radhakrishna said.

Since the garden is closed, Radhakrishna had to do without electricity and would sometimes sit outside his house and study in the moonlight. “I don’t know what the future holds for my son. We sold whatever little livestock we had to help him complete his Higher Secondary,” Rajnarayan said.

Milan Chhetri of the closed Ramjhora tea garden has also shone in the Madhyamik examination by getting 631 (78.8 per cent). However, his father Ganu Chhetri, who used to work in the estate until it closed down six years ago, said he had no money to support further studies.