Arunachal: Rape incidents at Roing school hostel spark discussions on safety, hygiene

The recent rape incidents involving minor girls at a school hostel in Arunachal Pradesh's Roing, Lower Dibang Valley, have heightened safety concerns among parents of Donyi-Polo Vidya Niketan (DPVN), Pasighat. These issues took centre stage during the school’s annual parents-teachers meet at Talom Rukbo Nagar in East Siang district, alongside discussions on hygiene and education standards.

This year’s meeting saw higher participation from parents, many of whom voiced concerns over the safety, health, and hygiene of hostel residents. Several parents raised alarms over the presence of labourers staying within the campus for the construction of new girls’ hostel buildings. 

Concerns were also expressed about the poor condition of the school bus, with calls for its maintenance and for better care by the driver and handyman when transporting day scholars. Additionally, parents urged the school to improve teaching standards, particularly in mathematics.

Responding to the concerns, DPVN Principal Vidya Kant Jha informed that the school bus had been serviced recently, and labourers within the campus had been warned against approaching the hostel areas. “I know, the recent unfortunate incident at Roing has raised serious concern for all parents and we too are now in alert mode, so we have ensured all the hostel wardens to remain vigilant”, said Jha, adding that efforts were underway to improve mathematics teaching. He also appealed to parents to share responsibility for students’ discipline and academic improvement, noting that some students had challenged teachers.

School Management Committee (SMC) Chairman Dr. Kaling Dai assured parents that necessary improvements would be monitored by the committee, and suggested convening a review meeting involving SMC members, teachers, and hostel wardens to address overall concerns. SMC Member Secretary Er. Oder Gao also emphasised the need for the school’s holistic growth, with special attention to the safety of girls in the hostel.

Chairman of the parents-teachers meet, Shyamu Aryal, who is also the principal of Sri Sri Vidya Mandir School, Pasighat, remarked that DPVN was showing year-on-year improvement but must meet the expectations of parents and students. He noted the school’s large, scenic campus and its potential to become a preferred institution in the near future.