Chandel villages long for a government primary school
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Gyanand Naorem

Kakching, November 30 2011: It may sound funny to many people in cities and towns.

But it is the truth.

Villagers in remote area of Chandel district like Zoupi, Saivol, Hengcham and other neighbouring villages have just one wish in their mind: Setting up of a full-fledged primary school of the government for educating their children.

Located 147 kms to the south-east of Imphal, Zoupi, Saivol, and the newly established TM Dingpi, Nakong and T Kollen are cluster of villages inhabited predominantly by Kukis.

The only road connecting these villages with the outside world branches out from the Tengnoupal point of Imphal-Moreh Road (National Highway 102).The road is said to have been constructed by BRTF around a decade back.

But the overall condition of the road remains still good with exception of some landslide prone spots that require regular maintenance.

According to Chief of Saivol village Dominic, location of three AR posts along the road has been a great relief to the villagers as the security personnel help them in clearing the road whenever landslides occurred.

On other infrastructural requirements, Dominic informed that there is only one Government Aided Primary School at Zoupi for the entire area.

There are in all 110 students studying in classes from KG to V standard.

Four approved teachers and two contract teachers have been running the school with dedication.

However, there is no proper building and other required infrastructures.

"The Government may be framing policies and talking about quality education.

But there is no sign of any government machinery at work to bring about quality education in the hills", the Village Chief appealed for upgrading the existing Aided school to a full-fledged Primary School of the government so that the children of the area can have proper education.

The announcement made by Chief Minister that Khengjoi Primary School would be upgraded to the status of a High School during a function on November 12 to upgrade Khengjoi Block sub-division to a divisional headquarters may solve the problem of the students who used to go to Tengnoupal or Churachandpur for further study after class V.But there is uncertainty over how and when it would be implemented, Dominic observed.

He further informed that there is no electricity supply in these remote villages.

For the last 3 to 4 years, the AR post at Zoupi has been operating generator to provide electricity at the rate of one bulb in each household for a couple of hours at night.

Without this arrangement, the villagers would have remained under perpetual darkness.

Moreover, the villagers received PDS items only once or twice a year, the Village Chief disclosed.

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