TURA: “Lack of accommodation for college students from rural areas is one of the challenges that continue to confront the state and the government is committed to address this critical gap by opening hostels in partnership with dedicated groups, like church-based organizations,” Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma after inaugurating the newly-constructed Tribal Girls’ Hostel in Hawakhana, Tura on Monday.
The hostel was sanctioned under Article 275(1) by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and built by the State Government through Social Welfare Department and Women’s Economic Development Society (WEDS), Tura.
Dr Sangma said that it was a scary situation that the districts of Garo Hills had not been able to cross the pass percentage of 36% in the board examinations. Attributing the alarming rate of failure to the weak chain in education at the elementary level, including lack of dedicated teachers and lack of hostels for students coming from rural background, he stressed the need to give special attention to vulnerable groups of students with handholding support and to infuse in them the sense of hope. He also informed the gathering about the Teachers’ Training Programme being initiated by the government for which a grant of Rs 5000 would be given only to those potential candidates who aspire to become teachers, so that schools will have committed teachers when they apply for jobs.
As informed by Director, WEDS, Rev. F D Sangma, an amount of Rs one crore was sanctioned for construction of the hostel in a land which belonged to Hawakhana and which was given to WEDS to be utilized for community purpose. He said that the hostel, which was completed with local community contribution of Rs 15 lakh, would accommodate 30 students, out of which they would give priority to 25 underprivileged girls from the most backward and deprived areas with affordable fees, who would be trained and moulded to become agents of change in their respective villages.
The hostel would be managed by an eight-member Managing Committee with one warden, two cooks and a night watchman.
WEDS have also sought the Chief Minister’s intervention to get the sanction for the second phase of the project which includes a Multi Facility Training Centre. The impressive Multi-Facility Training Centre-cum-Hostel was designed by Architect, Silchar R. Marak.
The Chief Minister assured that the government would continue to support this kind of noble agenda and requested the managing committee to ensure that these 25 girls should be one from each village so that at least 25 villages each would have an ambassador of change.
Admitting that the government and departments concerned have failed in running the hostels, he said the best thing was to have a partnership with committed and dedicated groups like WEDS and commended the whole plan being made by the society to be associated with this building.
Stating that education should be taken as opportunity giver, the Chief Minister called for opening of more institutions not only for the less privileged sections, but also on revenue model for parents who can afford to pay higher fees. “In spite of constraints let us make it a collective agenda to create academic environment locally to ensure that our children have good education without having to go outside”, he added.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi in his welcome address said that the project was a perfect instance of the effort of the government to ensure that students coming from rural areas would have a happy and vibrant place as their home away from home, while Assistant Director, Social Welfare, L.M. Momin informed that under Article 275(1) many tribal hostels including work women’s hostels have been proposed by the Chief Minister and were on the process of construction.
