Imphal, June 24 2010: A government school in Imphal west shows that government schools can also attract students if school authorities take keen interest in providing infrastructures and other required materials of being a school.

The Langathabal Kunja Mayai Leikai Junior High School which was in an awful state when it was a primary level school has witnessed landmark development since it was upgraded into a junior level school.

The school building was like a cattle shed before it was upgraded into a junior level school under the initiative of the local MLA of Langthabal Kendra, O Joy who took main role in improving the infrastructures of the school.

Fund amounting to Rs 14 lakh availed from the Union Urban Development Ministry and shared contribution from his MLA Local Areas Development Fund, the improvement works of the school was taken up.

With the improvement works almost completed, the school is revived from dying.

The government school was earlier located at Langthabal Kunja Pukhri Achouba but recently it was relocated at Langthabal Kunja Mayai Leikai near a public ground.

The newly constructed school building was inaugurated on May 23 last by O Joy in the presence of the director of education (s), M Harekrishna.

Without any fund sanctioned by the education (s) department, the development work was taken up.

The school has now five class rooms and works for construction of three rooms along with the construction of toilets, compound fencing are in progress.

Local MLA, O Joy who is behind all efforts to push up the school to an ideal school, in an interaction with Hueiyen Lanpao, observed that government schools are running with teachers appointed by the government on payment of adequate salaries but most of these schools have no students.

When parents are not willing to send their wards to these schools where there is no shortage of teachers apart from giving facilities under various schemes like the Mid-Day-Meal and no monthly fees needed to pay, there would have some defect in these schools.

Even daily wage earning parents would like to send their wards to the private schools by paying monthly fees which is very high in the present day.

They keep behind all odd of life to make their wards a perfect and worthy citizen, he went on to observed.

Considering all this factors, as a representative of the people, he was determined to develop the government school in his constituency and started taking up the works, he said.

When the school was a primary level one, no parent willing to send their wards.

So no student was in the school, he said adding that after it was upgraded to junior level and developed the infrastructures, the number of students enrolled in the school is increasing.

"It is my dream to make the school, an ideal government school," Joy said adding that further efforts to develop a playground for the students will also be taken up soon.

Apart from this, he will pay scholarship to the students of the school every year with money from his own pocket.

An annual academic calendar coincide with the government drafted one will also be in force in the school, he said.

In the calendar, the curriculum of conducting debating competition, symposium, literary meet, social services will be added for culturing personality of the students and expose their talents.

He had also requested the authority concern to send required teachers in the school.

Once the school turned out successful in his experiment, he will extend the work to other schools in his constituency, he added.

Head mistress of the school, H Kunjarani revealed that there were few students in the school when it was a primary one but since the upgradation of the school into a junior level and development of infrastructure like a private school, parents started sending their wards.

She also credited the present condition of the school to local MLA and volunteers of the local club while expressing hope that the school will become an ideal school among the government schools if the corporation extended to the school continued further.

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