Guwahati: In a shocking revelation that has rocked Assam’s Darrang district, only 5 out of 36 students from Konaktapara Higher Secondary School in Dalgon managed to pass the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination this year.
The dismal result has triggered widespread anger among local residents, who staged a massive protest outside the school gate, demanding immediate action and accountability.
Located under the Dalgaon-Sialmari education block, the school has come under sharp scrutiny, especially given that it has a faculty of 19 teachers. Protesters alleged that despite ample staff, there has been a complete breakdown in academic discipline and teaching quality. What has particularly enraged the public is the school’s alarming decline—from once producing A-grade students to now teetering on the edge of academic collapse.
Headmaster Asadullah Faruqi and School Management Committee (SMC) President Abdul Salam are at the center of the controversy, with locals accusing them of gross negligence. Residents claim the school environment has deteriorated significantly under their watch, with reports of students spending class hours engrossed in mobile games and even being given access to Wi-Fi by teachers. Several protestors also alleged that the school atmosphere has been compromised by frequent music and entertainment activities, further disrupting learning.
The agitated demonstrators have called for the resignation of both the headmaster and the SMC president, urging them to accept moral responsibility for the decline. Placards and slogans echoed a unified demand for the intervention of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Education Minister Ranoj Pegu to bring the situation under control and revive the school’s academic integrity.
Speaking to the media, school authorities admitted the failure and expressed regret, stating that introspection and corrective steps were necessary going forward. However, this acknowledgment has done little to calm the anger of the locals, who view the situation as symptomatic of deeper, systemic issues plaguing rural education in Assam.
The incident has cast a spotlight on the pressing need for educational reform, accountability, and stronger monitoring in government-run institutions, particularly in under-resourced and rural parts of the state.