Government Middle School Ekranipathar in Dimapur builds INR 17 lakh multipurpose hall with community support.
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DIMAPUR — Defying the norm of waiting for government grants, the School Management Committee (SMC) of Government Middle School (GMS) Ekranipathar in Dimapur has built a multipurpose building worth INR 17 lakh with community funds and its own savings, setting an example for other state-run schools.
The multipurpose building has two rooms on the ground floor and a hall on the first floor.
The building was inaugurated on Friday by District Education Officer (DEO), Dimapur, Jevika Kiba.
SMC chairman Hekavi G Sumi recalled that when he took charge in 2021, he had envisioned significant development for the school.
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He stated that he had made efforts at all levels to secure the extension of classrooms, adding that the government had also tried, but the initiative was delayed year after year due to the large number of schools in the state.
However, he noted that the commitment and dedication of the GMS teachers motivated him to take up the project.
He highlighted the gaps at GMS Ekranipathar as he revealed that the school did not have a common teachers’ room and head teacher’s room.
The village council provided a room for the head teacher, but it was not very convenient. He noted “the department is going advanced with smart TVs at schools but the school did not have a proper room for that.”
The SMC then decided to save money from the yearly amount of INR 50,000 provided by the department for school maintenance, with the committee saving whatever it could till 2023 with the help of the head teacher.
On infrastructure upgrades, he said, “all classrooms at GMS Ekranipathar have inverter connection.
Sumi recounted that in 2023, a severe storm also blew away part of the school and there was no fund to restore it.
“The SMC leveraged what it had with the saved money and contribution from my end we had INR 6 lakh, inclusive of the INR 2 lakh assistance from Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority the following year after the storm’s destruction,” he said.
Sumi explained that the mid-day meal room had been small, so it was removed with council approval and a new multipurpose building was constructed.
“The INR 17 lakh building was completed by diverting INR 1.50 lakh from Performance Incentive Grants (PIG)—NECTAR project fund,’ the SMC chairman added.
Sumi highlighted a concern of the students, stating that after the children from GMS Ekranipathar pass out from Class 8, most of them drop out of school as there is no access to a Government High School nearby.
He urged the government to upgrade GMS Ekranipathar to GHS, affirming that the class capacity can be extended and that there would be no issue of classrooms.
DEO Dimapur, Kiba, stated that it was a first for her to attend a programme and inaugurate a facility constructed and funded by the SMC and the community.
Kiba noted that GMS Ekranipathar, established in 2004, has 28 teachers and 277 students till date.
“The essential criteria for upgrade are proper infrastructure, adequate land and good enrolment in Class 6 to 8,” she informed, while assuring that they will make efforts for upgrade of the school.
The DEO acknowledged that the multipurpose hall was a much-needed facility and said every school needs a multipurpose hall, adding that even during the Ministry’s visit last year, the same was said.
However, she said while CSR funds exist, for infrastructure, there are not much funds. She lauded the initiative and hall as “a good space for students to have extracurricular activities.”