Getting to Pentong village in Sikkim’s Dzongu region is an adventure in itself. The journey involves nearly three hours of off-road travel, crossing a river and climbing more than 100 steps. There is no mobile network here, and even bringing in food and other essential supplies is difficult.
Despite these challenges, the village is home to a primary school with classrooms, a playground and a government-funded residential hostel. Only 18 students are studying here, but the school has all the facilities needed to give them a proper learning environment.
The students include 11 girls and seven boys, from LKG to Class 5. Only one child is from Pentong village. The remaining children come from nearby remote villages and stay at the hostel during the school term.
The school is run by the local community and funded by the government. Looking after it is the teacher and in charge, Clock Lepcha, whose responsibilities go beyond teaching lessons.
He spends time visiting villages to convince parents to enrol their children in school. He also manages admissions and even accompanies the children back to their villages during the summer holidays. For families living in isolated areas, his support makes it easier for children to continue their education.
Making education possible in remote villages
The school has only four teachers, who teach children from kindergarten to Class 5. Students are grouped according to their age, allowing each class to learn at its own pace.
Pentong is not the only place following this model. Across Dzongu, several government-supported residential hostels help children from remote villages attend school without having to travel long distances every day. These hostels make it possible for many families to send their children to school when geography would otherwise stand in the way.
Schools like this show that good infrastructure is not limited to cities or large towns. Even in one of India’s most remote regions, children have access to classrooms, a playground, hostel facilities and teachers committed to their education.
For most people, a school with just 18 students may seem unusually small. But in Pentong, those 18 students are proof that even the most remote villages can make education accessible.
