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KOHIMA — The communities of five villages in Phek district, have rallied together to bring much-needed infrastructural improvement of a local high school, revitalising the Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, enacted in Nagaland in 2002.
Around November last year, community leaders from the five villages—Chozuba, Runguzu, Runguzu Nasa, Khusomi, and Chozu Basa—held a series of meetings, revealing ambitious plans to dismantle and reconstruct the old chapel hall at Government High School (Japan Riba), in Chozuba. They also planned to construct a new community hostel.
The existing chapel hall, originally constructed by the Chozuba Village Baptist Church during the establishment of the school in 1986, was in a dilapidated condition and needed immediate repairs to reconstruction, having been used for more than three decades.
When the community leaders announced the plans, a mass social work was conducted on Nov. 27, 2023 with people from the five villages, men and women, coming forward to level the site for the new hostel building.
The school authority informed Eastern Mirror, that the original plan was to complete the chapel hall before the start of the current academic session. However, due to delays, the timeline has been extended, and the building is expected to be completed before the summer break.
It was also informed that the school chapel hall is being constructed by the churches and the community hostel is being taken up by the village councils and village development boards (VDBs).
Established in 1986, the name ‘Japan Riba,’ which loosely translates to ‘Japanese battlefield,’ holds significance, as it reflects the historical context of the Second World War (WWII) that impacted the state. Situated in Chozuba in the heart of Phek district, the school primarily serves students from the five surrounding villages.
For the current academic year, the school has enrolled 101 students from classes 6 to 10.
The school authority told this newspaper that for decades, there were no provisions for construction of the school building from the government, except for the extension of one or two rooms under the then Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
The school building, mostly constructed through community contributions 38 years ago, faced years of neglect with no significant infrastructure development.
However, a wave of change was fuelled by funds provided through government initiatives like the Performance Incentive Grant (PIG) under NECTAR and major repairs under Samagra Shiksha.
According to the school authority, provisions for two additional classrooms were allocated under Samagra Shiksha, and the construction has been completed, with inauguration scheduled for March 12.
This led to a spur of activity among the community members, eventually leading to the collaboration of the five villages, perhaps positioning GHS (Japan Riba) as an example of what can be achieved when communities take on the onus of shaping their own future.