Shillong: In a troubling incident on January 20, 2025, a newly established Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) school in Mawkynrew village, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, was targeted by protesters. The village, which has a predominantly Christian population exceeding 80 per cent, has a literacy rate of 58 per cent, well below the national, state, and block averages. This educational gap highlights the urgent need for quality education in rural Meghalaya, a need the RKM has been striving to address.
RKM’s efforts to bridge the gap
Recognising the need for better educational opportunities, the RKM inaugurated a school in Mawkynrew in 2022. The initiative, spearheaded by local leaders like Bah K. Mukhim, the sardar of Mawkynrew Pyllun, and Bah B. Mukhim, a village dorbar member, aimed to provide affordable, quality education.
Initially housed in a single room at Bah B. Mukhim’s residence, the school began with 38 students from Nursery to Class V and four teachers. Despite its modest start, the school quickly gained traction, drawing students from Mawkynrew and nearby villages. By 2023, the student count grew to 96, prompting an expansion to a temporary tin-roofed building, the addition of two school buses, and an increase in teaching staff to seven. By 2024, the school upgraded to Class VII, enrolling 166 students from villages such as Jongksha, Lynshing, Umtong, and Mawlein, supported by nine teachers.
The school has since become a beacon of hope for the region, offering high-quality, accessible education to underprivileged rural children.
Protests turn violent
Despite the school’s positive impact, it has faced resistance, allegedly driven by local politics and religious motivations. On January 20, 2025, a protest led by the former sardar of Mawkynrew, Phrangstarwell Wankhar, and Tanborlang Surong, president of the Mawkynrew Sports Club, escalated into violence. The protesters claimed that the land allocated to RKM by the village council had already been allotted to the Sports Club. However, these claims were refuted, as the land allocation was properly sanctioned by the council and supported by the local Syiem.
The protesters vandalised parts of the school and issued threats to demolish it, highlighting a growing hostility towards RKM’s efforts. Observers suggest that missionary-run schools in the region may perceive RKM’s superior education standards as a threat to their influence, further fueling tensions.
This incident is not an isolated case. Similar events in Meghalaya reveal a pattern of hostility fueled by political and religious biases. In 2017, a funeral for an elder from the Indigenous Faith was disrupted in Mylliem by local groups, reflecting the systemic discrimination faced by minorities in the state. Such acts not only disrupt social harmony but also hinder developmental efforts aimed at uplifting marginalized communities.
The vandalism at Mawkynrew underscores the challenges faced by organisations like RKM in their mission to serve underprivileged communities. Local observers and community leaders are calling for prompt government intervention to ensure justice and protect institutions working for the public good.
Efforts like those of the Ramakrishna Mission hold the potential to transform rural Meghalaya by providing quality education and fostering national unity. However, incidents of hostility and bias threaten to derail these initiatives, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive approach to development in the region.
