A Ray of Hope for Children in Kamjong, A Remote Town in Manipur

Time and again we all keep complaining about the things and facilities that we do not have. But have we ever wondered that there are such regions also in India wherein basic survival and habitation is a big challenge. There are regions that lack safety, proper infrastructure, basic facilities etc. At such places people have to struggle a lot for even the most basic things such as earning their bread and butter. One such region in India is the remote Manipur town Kamjong which borders Myanmar and comprises of approximately 400 households.

The town has been ravaged by insurgency and indeed life here is extremely difficult. The nearby area hardly has any economic growth and development. The government has not been able to set up the office of the District Collector also till date. This clearly shows the level of development in the region. Another indicator that reflects lack of growth here is the presence of only one properly functioning school here despite a large number of children in the nearby households. More than half of the children are not even enrolled in the school. It is mainly because of lack of proper infrastructure, teachers and the use of accrued funds for corrupt practices. In order to meet this problem, a non-profit organization called Recognize, Rise and Empower Association (RREA) has come to the rescue of these little children. The association has been founded by Theimipei Raleng and Mathanmi Hungyo, who are two social workers from Ukhrul and Kamjong districts respectively. They took this initiative of enlightening the dark life of the children here by conducting research on the infrastructure and the facilities in the region. They came forward and established RREA on July 25 in the previous year and set up a fellowship in May 2018 in association with the district administration, expecting that it would help in bringing up competent teachers, development practitioners and activists across the Northeast to improve the state of education in these parts. In an interview Hungyo stated that when he came to know that there is only one government school in this region, he became very upset. He realizes that education is extremely important and the need of the hour for each and every individual. He believes that making efforts at small levels will also yield impactful results. He stated that Government intervention through funding is crucial over here. There is lack of teachers and proper infrastructure. One school cannot accommodate large number of students. It already has 300 students enrolled. He informed that they have recruited fellows working from anywhere between two-six months for the programme. Raghwendra Singh, a UP resident, and topper from the Delhi School of Social Work has worked here as a fellow. He shared his experience by stating that he is extremely delightful that he is able to render help and enlighten the life of hundreds of young children. Presently, he teaches three different subjects (Mathematics, Home Science and English) across five classes. Apart from all this, RREA also holds remedial classes and free classes on Basic Mathematical Skills’ after school hours for students who are slightly weak in studies. RREA also organized a book donation drive in July 2018 in order to start a library for the Kamjong High School. The students have been divided into groups and allotted subject-wise projects to be prepared during their holidays. Topics such as ‘Nutrition during Infancy and Pregnancy,’ ‘Right to Information Act-Successes and Failures,’ ‘Waste Management,’ ‘Analysing how Working Women and Men Plan Their Day,’ and ‘Implementing Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Your School’ have been assigned to these students based on a format established by RREA. Indeed, RREA is doing a great job. There must be more such organizations and volunteers who can come forward and combat these issues.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://www.thebetterindia.com/162485/kamjong-manipur-education-rrea-news/