IN THE SPOTLIGHT

An entrepreneur by profession, Kikanuksung, a resident of Watiyim village in Mokokchung district, has been the School Management Committee (SMC) Chairman of GPS Watiyim since 2017. Initially, he wasn’t fully aware of his responsibilities, but after studying the Communitisation booklet provided by a teacher and participating in trainings organised by the Department of School Education and NECTAR, he quickly learned the significance of his role.

Kikanuksung actively participates in training and regularly shares what he learns with the community and parents. Since he joined the SMC, he has mobilised the community and strengthened their involvement by initiating awareness seminars, making infrastructural improvements, and also introducing the learning of traditional arts for students.

Kikanuksung contacts parents personally for meetings and maintains records of meetings, functions, and school developments. He also keeps track of students’ academic performance. As most students are first-generation schoolgoers and lack parental supervision, some have been performing poorly. Kikanuksung visited their parents and encouraged them to set aside a small portion of their daily wages to send their children for tuition. This suggestion was received positively by the parents, leading to an improvement in their children’s performance. He also provided opportunities to unemployed youths in the village by encouraging them to tutor the students.

As a proactive leader, Kikanuksung even used the church as a platform to encourage the community to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility toward the school and requested that they step up to uplift it. In times of emergencies, when there is a shortage of teachersor when the teachers have to attend training, Kikanuksung steps in and helps students during the final stretch of syllabus completion. Though the school is equipped with digital gadgets, only a few could operate them. Noticing this, he tutored the teachers on the basic skills of how to use a computer, type, and print.

Through the Performance Incentive Grants, he initiated the teaching of traditional crafts and skills such as weaving and stitching for girls and basket making for boys by inviting resource persons from the village. The creations were showcased during one of the Parent-Teacher Meetings. Additionally, he organised a seminar on Cleanliness and First Aid awareness which was a much-needed initiative in the rural area.

As a fine arts graduate, Kikanuksung volunteered to paint the classroom walls with Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) art using funds from the Performance Incentive Grants. He also procured teaching aids such as maps and globes for the school.

Under his guidance, the school also utilised the grants to replace the worn-out roof of the school, procure new tables and chairs for teachers along with almirahs, and make provisions for clean drinking water for the students.  

Kikanuksung’s vitality demonstrates how an individual with dedication and faith in collective strength can spark lasting transformation. His story invites us to look beyond duty and toward possibilities.

Nominator: Ana Jamir, Primary Teacher, GPS Watiyim