By Tsewang Rigzin
LEH: Books distributed for free in the government schools have not been received in complete form in Nubra with the start of the new academic session in November this year and the issue needs to be looked on priority as winter vacations in the district is scheduled from mid December.
This was reported to the chairman Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) and Deputy Commissioner Leh on Wednesday by Chairman of the Block Education Committee (BEC) Nubra Tsewang Stanzin while urging that books be made available before the start of winter vacation so that students are not affected. While confirming that books have not been received as per the requirements submitted, ZEO Nubra claimed that they don’t have any problem as such in this regard since they have found solutions at their own levels.
For almost a decade now Tsewang Stanzin, 65, has been working untiringly as an activist to help all government schools in the region get their demands fulfilled. He calls himself the chairman of the Block Education Committee (BEC) Nubra although the institution doesn’t exist anymore.
In 2006 village education committees (VEC) in the entire Leh district were reconstituted. After completing the reconstitution of VECs in all villages, Block Education Committees (BEC) were formed at different zones. Tsewang Stanzin then was nominated as the vice chairman BEC Nubra. The BECs of different zones gradually became almost invisible, Stanzin, however, continued to function as the chairman BEC Nubra and he kept the authorities posted with the status of almost all primary to higher secondary schools of Nubra Sub Division from time to time.
When there is shortage of lecturers in Leh district, Stanzin would go voluntarily not just to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh but all the way up to the Civil Secretariat Jammu in winter months and meet the chief minister, the education minister and the concerned bureaucrats and present memorandums to them urging immediate posting of lecturers in Higher Secondary Schools in Nubra and Eliezer Joldan Memorial Degree College Leh. In 2008 he approached the then chief minster Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad and proposed the introduction of Amchi system of medicine in the schools in Nubra valley.
The moment this retired soldier comes to know about any problem of a school or the ZEO office, he immediately rushes to the Leh to plead with the authorities. On the recommendation of ZEO office, LAHDC honored this humble retired soldier by garlanding him a Khatak (a white scarf) on the occasion of Bakula Rinpochey Education Campaign in Nubra few years ago.
Although Block Education Committee (BEC) Nubra doesn’t exist anymore, Tsewang Stanzin has taken it as a mission and continues to make a difference.
