Phungcham’s hamlet gets first Govt school

Villagers of Varangalai, a small habitation of 36 houses within the ancestral jurisdiction of Phungcham village, are happy at the fulfillment of their long cherished dream. A new primary school under the Autonomous District Council of Ukhrul has been established in the village after its new building was inaugurated on Sunday.

It is the first such facility which the hamlet, located about 32 km north of Ukhrul district headquarters, has ever received after 48 years of its existence since 1972.

On Sunday, Chingai MLA Khashim Vashum officially dedicated the new school building of the Varangalai Primary School (VPS) in the presence of Executive Member, ADC Ukhrul Paothing Vashum, ADC Members Lawrence Tuizar and Ngaranchui R Shimray, CEO ADC Ukhrul Polly Makan and SDO Chingai Nimmi Khamrang and a host of officers and staffers from the education department under the council.

He highlighted the pivotal role being played by the ADC administration and its education department in making considerable strides in education scenario in the Chingai subdivision.

MLA Khashim asked the villagers to embrace the values of education with the establishment of the new school and also develop belongingness about the infrastructures for the benefits of themselves.

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Expressing hope that the new school would help the villagers embark upon a journey for transformation, he said that education is the backbone of development and civilization.

The new six-room building of the primary school, established by ADC Ukhrul, was constructed by local councilor Paothing Vashum under State Fund-2019-20 of the district council.

“I myself come from a small village called Tusom CV in extreme border region and I have my own concerns for small villages. It’s my wish to bring this small village Varangalai on par with other villages in the district, in terms of development, education and others,” MLA Khashim enthused the villagers on learning about myriad hardships being endured by them.

Khashim continued that he would try his level best to materialise his wish for implementing a water scheme in the village, for which a proposal has been submitted already.

In his speech, local councilor Paothing Vashum expressed his gratitude on behalf of ADC Ukhrul, to MLA Khashim Vashum for providing a helping hand to the district council in its various works and projects, including fund allocation under State Plan.

He also expressed gratitude to the district council administration for extending its fullest support in establishing the new primary school.

At the same time, Paothing urged the ADC administration to make necessary arrangements to provide teaching and other staffers for the new school in order to make the newly established school to start functioning from the next academic session of 2021.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO Pollly Makan said that 7 new school buildings were sanctioned under Grant in aid under the council, and Varangalai Primary School is one of them.

Incidentally, MLA Khashim Vashum who stepped in for the inauguration programme of the newly-constructed school building in the hamlet on Sunday, also created history by becoming the first the ever VIP visitor to the backward village.

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“No official visitors ever came here and MLA Khashim Vashum is the first VIP to visit our village. Today, your visit has created a new chapter in the history of our village,” Ningkhan Pheirei, local chairman, explained to the visiting legislator, pouring out the joyous sentiments of his villagers.

According to Ningkhan Pheirei, Varangalai village was set up back in
1972 on September 29 and since then, there has been little development and the villagers did not have even a single school for the past 48 years.

“Due to absence of school, we have been sending our children to Ukhrul town and this has been affecting our economy greatly for more than 40 years,” he said and exuded hope of reliving the lives of the villagers with the introduction of the new school.

Earlier in the morning, MLA Khashim also inaugurated a newly constructed six-room Barrack Type Teachers’ Quarter (BTQ) at Paorei village also under Phungcham village. The facility was constructed by councilor Paothing Vashum under State Fund 2018-19 of the district council.