Tribal Empowerment (TEP) is a quintessential Asha project that owes its start to the efforts of a group of Asha volunteers, who along with a dedicated champion of tribal education Mr T.H.Joy, took up the challenge of starting a school in the remote tribal village of Leingangching in Manipur back in 2003. Mr Joy is a native of this area, characterized by hilly terrains, poor agricultural prospects for its residents and tribal rivalries. All these have lead to several social issues and a dismal outlook for the future of the children living in the poverty-ridden area.
The primary goal of the school is to empower these children through education. In an area where a livelihood through agriculture is not feasible, education offers a constructive alternative for the children, providing them a peaceful, secular and tolerant environment and a platform for higher studies and more lucrative careers in the city. With Asha s support, this school that started off as a concept school with just 30 students and a few voluntary teachers in 2003 has grown into a fully functional, and much admired institution that supports more than 500 students across grades K-7 and 10 salaried teachers. It is situated in the proximity of 13 villages and serves tribes of all ethnicities.
Your contribution to TEP will help support teachers salaries for 3 new teachers for a year, mid day meals and infrastructure improvements.
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While TEP follows the Manipur State Board curriculum, the way the school is run has made it a preferred school in the local community. Some of the key aims of the school are to treat all students with love and respect, have students achievements be recognized by all, and have teachers develop true love for the students, with the understanding that teachers have an important place in society, and that if they fail, the whole society fails. Teachers also make an effort to share with each other the difficulties they face with students and how they deal with those situations, hence learning from each other. The school does not track progress via any formal assessments, but teachers work closely with the students and parents to identify progress and areas of improvement. Besides studies, the school also focuses on physical fitness, nutrition and personal hygiene. Mid day meals and uniforms are provided to all students at no cost. In the recent Navodaya Entrance exam, considered to be one of the best schools in the district attracting applicants from over 200 schools. TEP topped for the 2nd consecutive year and garnered 6 of the 50 available spots. Navodaya provides quality education from VI to XII class for no cost, including free lodging, clothing, food and other items, a truly admirable achievement. Given the turbulent environment and location of the school, it is impressive that the school had not only been able to sustain its operations over the last 6 years but has also surpassed its own expectations.
The WAH Proposal was submitted to request funds for teachers salaries for 3 new teachers that the school hopes to hire, to purchase additional desks and chairs and support the construction of another building to accommodate the growing student population, and to provide mid-day meals to all students for 4 months. By applying the WAH funds to these items, the school hopes to not only sustain the current operations, but to also make an incremental progress towards improving the quality of education imparted to the children.
