Lone school for 70 villages, Gelnal HS longs for govt's attention
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Lambanmayum Premchand

Imphal, July 18 2012: Even though, the government has taken up various steps to develop education sector in the state, Gelnal High School, the lone school for students of more than 70 villages, has been waiting for sympathetic attention of the government towards its existing pathetic condition.

Located in Gelnal village under Tadubi A/C in Senapati district, Gelnal High School is the only school offering Class 1 to 10 to students from 70 villages situated along Irang River.

The village is located at a distance of 100 km from Imphal along Imphal-Tamei Road.

The school was upgraded into a High School from Junior High School in 2006.It has now 486 students reading in Class 1 to 10.But the school has only seven teachers and one chowkidar.

In order to maintain the school, the School Management Development Committee is engaging seven private teachers to teach the students.

Salaries for the private teachers are managed from the funds for MGNREGS of the villages, Mid Day Meal and financial aids from the village chief.

All these information and more came to light during an inspection visit conducted by DESAM.

Speaking to reporters, Head In Charge of the School Management Development Committee Sonjangam Haokip informed that the committee had approached the concerned departments and offices on numerous occasions for sending teachers to the school.

However, all these requests went in to vain as no officials are committed enough to address the problems of education in remote areas.

Moreover, the Additional Director Hills told them not to bother him again on the matter since he has nothing to do with it.

The school was built on the land donated by chief of the village but it still lacks many required infrastructures.

Moreover, there are no separate toilets for boys and girls.

Due to inadequate classrooms, students of class KG and Class 1 are sharing one room for their studies.

As many students from far off places come there to the school to study, the school management committee had requested the government to build hostels for the students.

However, their request has not yielded any positive result.

But the villagers came out with support and built four hostels, two each for boys and girls inside the school campus.

The Chief of the village, Thangsat Khongsai lamented that ZEO Kangpokpi, Education Department and other concerned offices have turned a blind eye to the plea of the school committee.

Even though the school gets mid day meals for some students, some free text books, 16 sets of desk and benches, four tables, six almirahs and a mike set, such facilities would not bring much development to the school.

The school has two computer sets for giving computer education to the students.

However, the students get only theory classes since electricity supply in the village is just for namesake.

Moreover, students are unable to study at night due to lack of power supply.

DESAM Vice President, Moirangthem Angamba said that the government should inspect the schools in remote areas and address their inconveniences and problems in order to bring quality education in the state.

Development of infrastructures in schools which do not have students would not bring changes in education.

Instead they should pay more attention to such schools which have students but lack teachers and proper infrastructures.

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