By: Reena Nongmaithem
Imphal, Oct.3: Most of our Government schools hardly used whiteboard. While using blackboard with chalk is hazardous to health as it may cause Asthma to teachers. With this simple but true reason, Gautam Nongmaithem, a primary teacher at Haoreibi Junior High School initiated the idea of converting existing blackboards into whiteboard without govt. help.
His idea was simply to put white sun mica over the existing blackboards.
“If we buy original whiteboard it cost around Rs. 3000 per board that we cannot afford. So we buy white sun mica ply and put on the existing black board with just Rs. 7000 to Rs. 8000 for the whole class rooms in the school”, Gautum said.
Though the idea was first initiated by him, the work was possible with the help of well wishers and sponsors namely Dr. James Elangbam, R.K. Mahesh, teacher and advocate Modhusudon who extended their helping hands after seeing his post on social networking site facebook. School Management Committee (SMC) provided assistant in all sort of manual work.
“Very interestingly, even carpenters who happen to be parents of our students come out voluntarily”, Guatam added.
When asked about not using the School management fund, he said the fund is unable to utilize for this as there lots of other work. On the other side, as fund from government drain from top to bottom, there is nothing left for the children, he said with a laugh.
Haoreibi Junior High School presently has strength of around 160 students from class I to VII. It may be mentioned that ever since Gautam joined the school on 2011, he has initiated many student raising activities. Under his leadership the school had conducted different forms of campaigns, counseling parents including door to door visits so as to send their children to the school.
Gautam’s contribution in other Primary Schools
Before joining Haoreibi Junior High School in 2011 as regular primary teacher, he taught kids in contract at Tangkham primary school, which is 3 km interior from Khundrakpam in Imphal East from April to December 2011. There he started his first journey of campaigning for students in government schools.
“There I make a record of bringing up student strength from 0 to 33 in just two months. With the help of well wishers, could install Computer, connected electricity, Sign board was hung up. Shocks, neck tie, bench and desks were donated by well wishers. Pullover of 33 students was donated by my friend of Sandy Enterprises”, recalled enthusiast teacher.
Transfer from Haoreibi to Pangei
“Almost all the situations were similar, there too when I joined the Pangei Upper Primary School”, he says. As soon as he joined the school he pulled up a flex sign board of school.
“There were only 13 students mostly Nepali as it was in Nepali dominated areas. I hold one of the school key so that I can open the school in time. If we open the school regularly children will come. I hate teachers saying students do not come to school”, Guatam said.
He cared to visit students personally if students fail to come to class.
“I even went to meet students if they are absent for continuous days. During my days at Pangei, I visit other government school in the area and find out their problems”.
In doing so, he met one teacher named Prakash at KC High School at Khundrakpam and asked for his help. He told daily eveninger that he was lucky to meet Prakash. Prakash shared the problem that, in the school there are number of students studying in class IX and X but they cannot buy books due to poverty.
Then he initiated to post on Facebook to donate old books and money. Finally around Rs. 13000 cost books could be handed over to the needy students.
Then again in around January 2014, he and Kenedy, a friend through Facebook, who is a doctor by profession and was also a member of Youth Education Welfare Association (YEWA) visited the KC High School and Khundrakpam primary school. There they found out the incomparably poor toilet system. Kennedy was kind enough to built toilets in both schools costing around Rs. 30,000 from the Association’s side.
Gautam Nongmaithem, this primary teacher has been conducting drawing competition in between, among students from 4 to 5 selected government schools. While prizes for compitition were sponsored by his facebook friends Fisher Laishram, who is a computer literate and software developer working in Mumbai and Esund Khongbantabam.
Gautam joined in his present posting again in August 2015, as School Management Committee of Haoreibi Junior High School pull him back as utilization.
He says, he could acquire inner peace of mind and happiness that every teacher could get in doing such things which we cannot buy. His love and attachment to primary students could be seen personally while interacting with him. He told, as long as he is with students he forgets outer world’s tensional issues. He likes students considering him as a friend rather a teacher. Where ever he is posted he teaches drawing, making dustbin craftwork to the students which is not in the syllabus and for that, students love him, he said and laughs out.
