By H Chongloi
IMPHAL, July 18: If you think that all government schools in the hills exist only as an empty cattle shed and held leaders of the area responsible to it, think it again!
Gelnel Govt High School located at Gelnel village on the Imphal-Tamei Road in Senapati District have different story. The villagers are more or less a ‘Samaritan’. All they can do is to contribute for the common good.
An inspection program by a team of media persons and leaders of Democratic Students Association Manipur (DESAM) yesterday came into light that the school with 486 students has a meager 15 teaching staffs.
Speaking to the inspecting team, principle of the school Sonjangam Haokip narrated how he had balanced the need of the students with minimal sanction as was granted by the government.While eight of the15 teaching staffs were of government, the other seven were privately hired by the school management committee itself. The salary of these private teachers is either borne by the village chief or the committee.
Haokip said, “A school with over 400 students at least needs thirty teachers. Till now students have to remain satisfy with it as the government is yet to provide adequate teachers, especially science and math”
Regarding students’ performance he is proud to acknowledge it. Since the school was upgraded to a high school in 2006 it never lacks behind other schools that are provided with surplus staffs, he added.
One curious thing that left leaders of DESAM and the media team dumbfounded was the hostel facilities constructed by the villagers without any foreign help. The hostel which are four in number accommodate 162 students; two each for boys and girls.
Warden of the hostel Thanglenmang Khongsai said, “The hostel is meant only for students of far-flung areas. Gelnel villagers are not provided these facilities”.
Chief of the village Thangsat Khongsai, when contacted, told the media team that he did without any motives but out of love and concern for children’s education and development of the area.
Apart from paying salary from his pocket Thangsat also had donated 3 acres of land where the school building stands today. Today he can be considered as a model chief where accountability of Kuki chieftains is often questioned.
Asking the government to supply adequate teaching staffs, he also appealed to the state government to take the matter seriously as it is the only high school serving over fifty villages.
Though the school outperformed over what is expected, it still needs construction of new and replacing of old hostels, fencing the campus, building separate toilets for both boys and girls as they share the same facility today.
Thangsat also recalled of how he approach the authority concerned but only to be left disappointed. It is his dream that the government will one day come to the rescue by joining hands to build a strong, developed and vibrant Impahal-Tamei Area of Sadar Hills, Manipur.
