Ao women urged to invest in education of girl child

Organisation to be renamed Ongpangkong Tetsür Mungdang

Mokokchung, March 17 (EMN): Women in Mokokchung have been urged to invest in the education of the girl child. It is an ‘inheritance’ for the women of the community, said a speaker during a recent conference of the Ongpangkong Watsü Mungdang, in Mokokchung town. The organisation, which has decided to rename itself to ‘Ongpangkong Tetsür Mungdang’ was encouraged by Dr Achila, the principal of the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) in Yimyu on Friday, to give ‘best education to the girl child’ and to send them to the ‘best institutes’ because that’s the ‘only inheritance we can give to our daughters.’

The principal was the main speaker at the 16th general conference of Ongpangkong Watsü Mungdang at the town hall in the town today. “If you educate a boy you educate a man; if you educate a girl you educate a family,” she asserted.

In this regard, she suggested that the Ongpangkang Watsü Mungdang and Aoli Watsü Mungdang to open a girls’ college ‘which will not only benefit the Ao women but the Naga women as a whole.’

Further, she said that the community today was living in a fast-changing society. ‘If the women do not have a goal for the future, then they will be drowned by the fast changing society where our rich cultural ethos passed down by our forefather will perish along with it,’ she said.

Also, Dr Achila encouraged the womenfolk not to dwell ‘on past glory’ but to strive forward with changed mindsets and positive attitudes to nurturing ‘a transparent and corruption-free society.’

“Let us not infest our children with the parasite of dependency but bring up our children with productive potentialit y,” she quipped.

The president of the Watsü Mungdang Moachila; Ongpangkong Mungdang’s president and Ao Senden Acting president C Angang Jamir and Ongpangkong Kaketshir Mungdang’s president R Sunep Pongen also spoke during the event.

During the event, a tribute was paid to departed leaders of Ongpangkong Watsu Mungdang. The Chuchuyimpang Watsü, Ungmatsür Telongjem Mokokchung Town and Mungdang choir sang during the programme.

The Ongpangkong Watsü Mungdang has instated its office bearers for the tenure 2017-2020. They are President Talichula (Ungma), Vice President Akumchila (Longmisa), General Secretary Nungsangtola (Kupza) and Assistant General Secretary Imodangla (Mangmetong).

Also, the organisation has decided to change its name to Ongpangkong Tetsür Mungdang.