Manipur: Pinjang Village In Noney District Gets A New Primary School

 Manipur: After being engulfed by ethnic clashes in the 1990s, peace has since descended on Pinjang (Gangluan -IV) in Noney District. Generations of youngsters have however suffered due to the lack of affordable educational facilities with no viable school in the village. But now, the Learn for Life Foundation partnering with the Archdiocese of Imphal is ensuring that the children of Pinjang and neighbouring villages have better opportunities to access quality education.

Pinjang (Gangluan -IV) in Noney District is a village of about 600 persons hailing mainly from the Rongmei Naga tribe. During the 1990s, the village was severely impacted by the Kuki – Naga ethnic conflict. Many unfortunate persons from both communities from Pinjang and neighbouring villages unfortunately perished in the violence. Relations between the two communities have considerably improved with many progressive steps for reconciliation taken by community leaders on both sides.

Most of the inhabitants of Pinjang are subsistence farmers, many of who hail from the BPL category. A major issue in the area for decades is the lack of any good schools. In 2016, an attempt was made by a local entrepreneur to start a primary school. The school temporarily came under the Salesian Fathers and came to be called Don Bosco School. However, due to various factors, the school was turned over to the Archdiocese of Imphal. With little funds even to meet operational costs, the already dilapidated buildings with mud floors, tin sheet roofs and bamboo matting walls fell further into disrepair.

The Assam Rifles have helped build toilets, contributed roof sheets and books for the library. They are also grateful to Sunbird Trust, a Manipur based NGO, for immense support to the school. In January 2022, through the support of generous donors in the United States and LearnforLifeFoundation.Org, work commenced on building a brand new and permanent school building.

The Archbishop of Imphal, Fr Velickakam has expressed his gratitude to the generous donors for their sponsorship of this critically needed primary school. In the coming years, the school will be able to serve more than 300 children in Classes KG to Class VI and there are plans to raise a new hostel. The school will serve children of all communities without preference on grounds of tribe or religion.