Saiton school turns saviour for displaced students
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 17 2023:
Lamjing Meira Maheikol, a private educational institution established near Saiton Keithel in Bishnupur district is sheltering 90 children directly affected by the ethnic violence and providing them education at free of cost.
Lamjing Meira Maheikol founder-cum-principal Phanjoubam Ramesh took the decision to shelter the displaced children with dedication to save their career and his decision is generating praises from all.
Located around 56km from Imphal, Saiton is in the southern tip of Bishnupur district bordering Churachandpur district and not far from Torbung where the violence first started on May 3.Maisnam Amita of Sagolband Mabudhou Mantri Leikai and her family members visited the school few days back and provided breakfast, stationery items and socks for the displaced students.
The People's Chronicle was fortunate to be part of Amita's visit and experienced conditions of the displaced children as well as the unique way of imparting education at the school.
During an interaction, Ramesh told The People's Chronicle that children coming from relief camps are different from other as they do not take tea for breakfast and decline snacks for the sake of others.
According to Ramesh, the ongoing violence took lives of many people while hundreds have injured and thousands including children displaced.
He said that the school decided to shelter the violence-affected children and provide them education at free of cost to save and shape their career.
Free education for the displaced students began after the matter was brought to the knowledge of chief minister N Biren Singh and the government is bearing food and edibles for the children with the rest borne by the school, he added.
Around 90 children who fled from Torbung and other villages are currently sheltered at the school.
The school faces numerous shortages and inconveniences but have to sacrifice for a better future of the displaced children, Ramesh said.
On how he started the school, Ramesh told this daily that he borrowed Rs 50,000 and started the school by constructing five simple rooms to provide educational opportunity to children living in remote villages who could not afford education at Imphal.
He also said that Lamjing Meira Maheikol was established with the main objective to bring some changes to village education as majority of villagers are daily wage earners and could not afford to send their children to costly private schools.
According to Ramesh, Lamjing Meira Maheikol take up various extra-curricular activities apart from giving general education so that they have social work idea from early age.
Students of the school conduct social*service once every week and collect plastic waste to make Saiton and its surrounding areas 'zero plastic zone'.
Apart from this, students are given skill development training like making of incense sticks, stool (Mora) and decorative items from plastic waste with the theme 'earn while you learn' and the money collected from selling these items would help the students in purchasing exercise book, pen and pencil, Ramesh added.