Aalo: The beautifully located Pobdi Secondary School that caters to the academic needs of seven big villages of Paktu Ete Bango area in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Siang district has finally been renovated after lying in a dilapidated condition for years.
The Paktu Ete Bango comprises Bene, Wak, Kugi Pomse, Kugi Pomte, Paya and Gune Baane villages.
The entire SPT school building was in very poor shape as it has outlived its utility.
The facelift of the school was possible after 325 employees of Paktu Ete Bango Welfare Society with its headquarters at Pobdi decided to contribute a day’s salary each for the massive renovation work on a self-help basis.
The school is functioning regularly now.
This school made a humble beginning with a thatched house in 1961, upgraded to primary level in 1967 and to secondary level in 2010. They celebrated its golden jubilee and withstood the tests of time.
The school has an area of 51,599 sq. m of land donated by 10 elders – Tumto Ete, Rakken Ete, Mishor Ete, Jamar Ete, Imar Ete, Toli Ete, Nyamar Ete, Mege Ete, Yomkir Ete and Nyige Ete.
All except Nyige Ete are alive.
Tumto Ete, the general secretary of the PEBGEWS and also an alumnus of the school said the endeavour is just a societal effort to give back to the school that was instrumental in shaping and moulding the destinies of people of the area.
“We had a responsibility toward parents and guardians who had helped construct the boys’ hostel and repair works of the school in the past,” he said.
“The emerging trend among the alumni and intellectuals of society to give back something to their alma maters in West Siang is a positive one as we cannot solely depend on the government to take up everything. This dependence syndrome sometimes hinders community participation which has been a hallmark associated with the existence and growth of our society,” the general secretary said.
