Crowd-funded project helps renovate Phezoucha GMS

KOHIMA — In a show of the strength of community effort, well-wishers, teachers, and colony members came together in Kohima and contributed funds to renovate Government Middle School (GMS), Phezoucha.

The community-funded project, including extension of two classrooms and renovation of GMS, cost INR 8.25 lakh.

Located at the New Secretariat area, L Khel Kohima village, the school has 176 students (91 girls and 85 boys) and 17 teachers.

The school commenced in 2005 and was awarded the best-performing Government Primary School in 2011. It was upgraded to GMS in 2021 and therefore required more classrooms.

Initially, the School Management Committee (SMC) sought funding from the department but ‘it could not materialise’.

‘Hence, they went in search of local funding from well-wishers’, SMC chairman Dr. Ketshukietuo Dzüvichü, shared.

He added that Classes 7 and 8 started from this academic session but due to lack of classrooms, many were denied admission.

Inaugurating the newly constructed two classrooms and renovated building, Advisor of School Education and SCERT, Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said the growth of a school is not possible without a dedicated team.

He said the School Education department has failed in many areas for the 1,939 government schools across the state needing attention. However, he added that government schools have the best-trained teachers with the requisite qualifications and therefore would not shy away from the responsibility of imparting quality education.

He informed that the department will soon open a dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) cell as there are interests from companies outside the state to invest in the education sector in Nagaland through their CSR.

He further added that education should only be relegated to a government responsibility because it is difficult to run schools and take forward quality education without the participation of everybody.