Shillong: Nongrah Presbyterian Secondary School, on Monday made another gigantic leap in its quest to provide quality education with the laying of a foundation stone for a new school building at Dong Nonglum, Nongrah in the presence of MP Vincent Pala.
The school was established back in 1925 by the Jaiaw District of the Presbyterian Church with the Nursery section which was later upgraded to a Primary School Level and then to the Upper School Level, High School and Secondary School Level.
During the last ninety four years, the school which is presently located within the vicinity of the Church had to be relocated to a new location due to rapid academic expansion.
The school had to be relocated to a new site at Dong Nonglum due to the Right to Education, which bars the establishment of educational institutions within the vicinity of places of worship.
The educational institution was upgraded to the Lower Primary Level, when it celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1964.
The new school building located in an area of about 18,000 sq. ft and sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 8 crore is scheduled to be completed before the centenary celebrations.
Words of appreciation poured out from the Church authorities to Aitinora Kharkongngor for selling the land at a low cost of Rs 85 lakh.
Speaking during the stone laying ceremony, Pala informed that around 85 per cent of his MP Local Area Development Scheme was given for educational purposes, such as for the construction of school buildings and improvement of educational infrastructures.
Pala also said that God and education should go hand in hand to ensure a society free from corruption.
He said that education is imperative for a person who wants to be the master of wealth and all that it encompasses and called on teachers, religious leaders and locality leaders to work together in the fight against the menace of drugs which has crept into society.
Pala also lauded the Hynniewtrep community,which was deeply impressed by the number of foreigners who attended the funeral of Archbishop Dominic Jala.
Local MLA Charles Pyngrope said that he was involved in the development of the school since he became an MLA in 2003.
The headman of Nongrah, B Pyngrope termed God and education as the essence human life and added that the Christian Missionaries were deeply concerned in imparting education to the Hynniewtrep community, so that they could also read the Word of God.
Others who spoke on the occasion included the Church Elder of Jaiaw District of the Presbyterian Church who is also the Secretary of the Education Committee, FJ Mairom while Education Committee member AS Kharsohnoh expressed his appreciation to Pala and Pyngrope and church authorities for attending the programme.
