Wishes and congratulatory messages have not stopped pouring in for Ningthoujam Binoy Singh ever since he was honored with the prestigious National Teachers' Award 2023 by President Droupadi Murmu. Singh, headmaster-in-charge of a local government upper primary school in Manipur's remote Keibul Lamjao, won the national award for his contribution to education.


Located close to the famous Keibul Lamjao National Park, the largest floating wildlife park of the world and home to the rare and endangered brow-antlered deer, the school building shines bright following a makeover and renovation. 


From Five To Over 200 Students Now


Singh is force behind upgrading the once neglected and dilapidated Chingmei Primary School, which had just five students. It has now been upgraded to an upper primary school with as many as 232 students, with sufficient teachers and has become an attractive and popular study centre for the students of the area, a press statement said.


Singh has also been currently providing free education to around 20 students, along with free uniforms and study materials, in his school. The students have taken shelter at nearby relief camps after being displaced in the ethnic clashes.  


Acknowledging his massive contribution towards overall development in the field of education, Singh, along with 74 teachers from across the nation, was given the National Teachers' Award on the occasion of Teachers' Day on September 5.


'Not The End As My Journey To Uplift Education Is Still On'


"I am happy to have received the award. This is the prize of my contribution towards developing education in my village. This is not the end as my journey to uplift education is still on. My target is to make the young generation of Keibul and the adjoining areas literate," Singh said on Saturday.


Recounting his journey, Singh said he joined the Chingmei Primary School as an assistant teacher in 2002.


"At that time, the school was in bad shape. Its walls were broken, all furniture was old and grungy and the floor was cluttered. Moreover, there were only five students and three teachers, including me. On seeing the poor condition of the school, people of our village sent their children to private schools spending a hefty amount of money. With the primary target to develop our school, I made up my mind and got my school repaired and bought new furniture from my own money," Singh said.


"I then engaged five more teachers from nearby private schools by giving them a slightly higher salary than what they used to get. On seeing the changes of our school with eight teachers and its repaired structure, parents and guardians of our village and the nearby areas began sending their children to our school," he added.


'School Has Undergone A Vast Change'


Students told ABP Live that the school had underwent a vast change and developed a lot over the years.


Speaking to ABP Live, Yaiphabi Chanu, a class 7 student of the school said, "Earlier, I used to study in a private school but seeing the good education being imparted here, my parents enrolled me at this school this year. All the teachers of the school are very good and I have learned a lot after coming here."


Another student of the school, Jenita Ningthoujam, studying in class 8, said, "We are being given education here just like other private schools. The school also offers many extracurricular activities, including sports and music."