The board marking the location of the Night Higher Secondary School. Picture by Biju Boro

June 30: What is common between government employees Utpal Deka, 40, Bharat Kayastha, 25, and helpers in a grocery shop Nazarul Haque, 15, and Nabajit Pathak 16?

They all are students of the Paltan Bazar Night Higher Secondary School, the only provincialised night school in the heart of the city. They are also driven by the urge to educate themselves for a better future.

However, the school they are banking on to change their destiny is struggling to survive. Established in 1955 to cater to the needs of working men and children, it lacks, among other things, even basic amenities like classrooms, electricity, water and sanitary facilities. If conditions inside the school were bad, the environment outside is chaotic — busy traffic, overflowing drains and piles of garbage are a common sight.

A student said, “Like our fate, our school, too, is a creation of a lesser god. It is our only path to future prosperity. But the way things are, the future seems anything but bright.”

Echoing his views, a senior teacher said, “The authorities need to look after these students. They are not only sincere in their studies but are their own guardians.”

At present, the school has 113 students and 26 teachers. Students from Classes V to XI have to pay an annual fee of Rs 600.

Amulya Das, the founder headmaster, was inspired by the night school system of Denmark prevalent at that time and set up the school with a view to educate the economically backward students, children who come to the city in search of jobs.

Provincialised in 1977 and upgraded to the higher secondary level in 1993, the school does not have a building of its own. Classes are held at the Guwahati Madrassa High School in the evenings from 4.45 pm to 8.40 pm, against a monthly rent of Rs 1,800 to the Madarsa.

Eleven students appeared in this year’s HSLC examination of whom six passed. Two were placed in the second division.

Headmaster Umesh Sarma said, “We teach the students in such a way that they can learn very easily. We rarely pressurise or try to impose upon them. We also see to it that they do not have to take private tuition but come to us with their difficulties. We are proud of our students.

“Under the Sarba Siksha Abhijan Mission the school recently got Rs 14,000 — the first grant since its establishment almost half a century ago. The money helped us procure some furniture for the students. Both the education department and the state government have neglected the school and not showed any interest towards its improvement.

“We are also trying to improve the condition of the school by undertaking small repairs with the help of Hospital Society funds,” said Pranati Das, daughter of the founder headmaster. She teaches science at the school.

Electricity is another problem. Frequent power cuts have added to the students’ miseries. This was not the case four years ago when it was connected to Bijuli Bhawan Colony. The authorities are planning to arrange for a generator or inverter.