KSO Churachandpur Launches Community School Amidst Crisis, Aiming for 'Zero Drop Out' Rate

A community school which is an initiative of the Kuki Students' Organisation(KSO), Churachandpur district, to provide education especially to the Kuki-Zo displaced students, has begun its academic session on Friday at Tuibuong, Churachandpur district of Manipur.

The community school was inaugurated by Saikot assembly constituency MLA, Paolienlal Haokip, in presence of Church leaders, civil society organisations, student organisations and families of the students and well wishers.

While speaking at the inaugural function, Paolienlal Haokip lauded the KSO team for their initiative to run the school amidst the crisis. He stressed on the role and importance of teachers in a society and said that there could be no progress or development in society when the teachers who are guiding the future pillar of nations fail to perform their duties as required.

Paolienlal also said that the traditional knowledge of our forefathers in different fields such as agriculture, medicines must be passed on to the students through the teachers so that the Kuki-Zo communities can have self-sufficient human resources. He suggested that the traditional knowledge of our forefathers could be passed on to the students even through the medium of songs so that the childrens could easily learn and grasp the knowledge.

The MLA requested the teachers in the school to impart the qualities of honesty and of being affectionate to the students.

The General Secretary of Kuki Inpi Churachandpur, Lalkhohao Chongloi, said the initiative of the KSO Churachandpur to start the community school was commendable and it was done as the organisation have concern for the education sector. He sought the support and cooperation of the parents so that the school can function without any hindrances.

Speaking to The Hills Journal, the Vice President of Kuki Students' Organisation Churachandpur district, Thenkhosei Haokip, who is also Headmaster-in-chage, said the school will be managed under the initiative of KSO Churachandpur while focusing on the displaced people from different parts of the State.

"Because of the violence, many people have fled and settled in Churachandpur district. However, those displaced families could not get admission for their childrens in the private schools. As such, KSO has taken the initiative to set up the school with support from well wishers and donations coming from the churches," he said.

Thenkhosei mentioned that the KSO has no such plan of setting up community school in the past but the initiative began after parents of displaced students put forward their grievances to the organisation, considering ‘zero drop out’ rate of children attending school as the main motto. He informed that 250 students from Nursery to Class VI have currently enrolled in the schools.

KSO Vice-President expressed gratitude to all those concerns who contributed different things which are necessary for functioning of the school.