Kuki students’ body launches free JNV coaching for displaced, underprivileged children in Manipur

The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) Sadar Hills on August 28 launched a free coaching programme for the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST) 2026, targeting internally displaced and underprivileged children in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district.

The initiative, organised jointly by the KSO Sadar Hills and Gunchu Coaching Institute, aims to provide competitive examination preparation to children whose education has been disrupted by conflict and displacement.

The programme was launched at the KSO Sadar Hills Administrative Office in Kangpokpi by Thangjalal Touthang, Inspector of Schools, Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council. Rev. Paolenlal Singson of the Council of Baptist Churches in Assam also attended the programme and offered prayers for the students and teaching faculty.

KSO Sadar Hills General Secretary K Shongren delivered the keynote address and highlighted the organisation’s efforts to expand educational opportunities for students facing financial and social challenges.

Thangboi Haokip, proprietor of Gunchu Coaching Institute, also addressed the gathering, while representatives of the students’ organisation introduced the faculty who will conduct the coaching sessions.

The programme is aimed at helping students prepare for the JNV Selection Test for admission to Class VI in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, a network of residential schools that provides education to selected students from across the country.

The initiative assumes particular significance in Kangpokpi, where prolonged displacement and disruption caused by the ongoing conflict have affected the education of children from internally displaced families. For many such families, the cost of specialised coaching for competitive entrance examinations can add to their financial difficulties.

The organisers said the free coaching was intended to remove financial barriers and ensure that talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds have an opportunity to compete for admission.

The initiative also seeks to identify and nurture students who may otherwise struggle to access competitive educational opportunities because of their circumstances.

With the coaching programme now underway, the organisers said their objective was to ensure that displacement and hardship do not prevent children from pursuing their educational aspirations.