Guwahati: Eight years after a pioneering school first opened its doors to children from Manipur’s fishing communities, the Loktak Floating Elementary School now faces a crisis of survival.
Built in 2017 in the floating village of Langolsabi Leikai in Champu Khangpok, this one-of-a-kind school floats on Loktak Lake atop phumdis — thick mats of aquatic vegetation that serve as both foundation and floor for huts and the school, as reported by a news agency.
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Despite its innovative setting, the school lacks basic infrastructure and official recognition, making its future uncertain.
The All Loktak Lake Areas Fishermen Union Manipur, which operates the school, has appealed to the government for urgent support. The school’s secretary, Rajen Oinam, revealed that the structure is only 24 by 15 feet and has no desks or tables.
“We began with great hopes, but this year, seven students have dropped out. Only 23 remain, all enrolled up to Class 2. We hold classes twice a week from 8 am to noon,” he said.
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Children from various floating huts — not just from Champu Khangpok — paddle in for lessons. But ongoing ethnic violence and relief efforts in the region have diverted the community’s focus, leaving the school under-resourced.
Oinam explained that floating huts often drift during storms, sometimes moving as far as three kilometers overnight. Residents stabilize them by anchoring bamboo poles into the lakebed. The school, too, is secured with ropes to prevent it from floating away.
Getting to the school is no easy task. “It takes around 90 minutes by traditional canoe from the Ningthoukhong Project Gate in the Bishnupur district,” said Oinam. While most huts use bamboo floors, the school uses wooden planks topped with carpets. Solar panels provide limited power, but the community lacks other modern amenities.
Despite sustained efforts, the school still hasn’t received formal recognition. “We’ve submitted applications to the Bishnupur district authorities, but there’s been no response. Without recognition, we can’t access government funds for infrastructure or teacher salaries,” said Oinam.
Currently, the People Resources Development Association, based in Bishnupur, supports the school by providing books, supplies, and modest stipends for teachers.
Local fisherman N. Kumar, who lives on a phumdi, stressed the school’s importance. “Land-based schools in Bishnupur are more than an hour away. Parents have to wait to pick up their children, which is both time-consuming and costly. Since both men and women in our community fish, this floating school offers a practical alternative,” he said.
Kumar also pointed to another challenge: safe drinking water. Though surrounded by water, the community struggles with contamination due to urban waste and plastics. Residents collect cleaner water from deeper lake sections and boil or filter it before use.
Most homes on the phumdis serve multiple purposes. Kumar described them as compact reed huts measuring about 20 by 15 feet. “Families cook, eat, and sleep in the same room,” he said.
According to Ramananda Wangkheirakpam of Ngamee Lup, a federation of fishermen’s unions, the school primarily serves young children who need close supervision. Older children often attend boarding schools in Imphal and other towns.
Still, the floating school remains the only educational lifeline for many in the lake community. Unless it receives urgent government recognition and support, its future, like the huts it sits among, remains unanchored.