Education department renews partnership with 17000 ft Foundation for five more years to strengthen education in remote frontier schools

GANGTOK,: Reaffirming its commitment to providing equitable, inclusive and quality education to every child across the State, the State Education department has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 17000 ft Foundation for a further period of five years.

The renewed partnership reflects the Education department's long-term commitment to strengthening government schools in Sikkim's remote and frontier districts through sustained investments in school infrastructure, teacher development, digital learning and community participation, the department said. “Building on the positive outcomes achieved over the past five years, the renewed collaboration seeks to deepen these efforts and ensure that children living in some of the State's most remote communities have access to high-quality learning opportunities.”

Education principal secretary Dr. Sandeep Tambe highlighted and congratulated the work of 17000ft Foundation especially in regard to the work being carried out in the remote tough terrains of Sikkim. Further, he assured of all possible help from the department and said the department looks forward to a long-term collaboration.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Tashi Chophel, secretary, School Education and State project director, Samagra Shiksha, and Sandeep Sahu, co-founder and director, 17000 ft Foundation. Also present on the occasion were Samagra Shiksha director A.D. Chettri, 17000ft Foundation director (Development) Chandan Dang and 17000ft Foundation’s State head Phuntsog Namgyal Bhutia.

“Over the past five years, the Education department and 17000 ft Foundation have worked together to strengthen more than 100 government schools across Gangtok, Pakyong, Mangan and Soreng districts. The partnership has created vibrant learning environments through improved school infrastructure, active libraries, colourful outdoor children's parks, and personalised and adaptive digital learning facilities, while simultaneously investing in teacher capacity building and community participation to improve the overall quality of education in government schools.”

The renewed MoU marks the next phase of the collaboration, with the partnership expanding to Gyalshing district, enabling the government to extend similar interventions to more schools and children across the State.

Education department said the partnership aligns with its vision of ensuring that every child has access to safe, engaging and high-quality learning opportunities.  

Since 2012, 17000ft Foundation has been working exclusively in India's remote Himalayan frontier and border regions, partnering with State governments to strengthen public education systems. Across Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the Foundation has reached more than 1,50,000 children, 8,000 teachers and 75,000 community members through its work in over 1,000 government schools.

Under the renewed MoU, the Education department and 17000 ft Foundation will continue collaborating on key areas including: School infrastructure development to create safe, child-friendly and engaging learning environments; teacher training and capacity building programmes aimed at improving classroom practices and learning outcomes; digital learning initiatives to bridge educational gaps and improve access to quality resources in remote locations; and community engagement programmes that encourage local ownership and participation in strengthening government schools.

Speaking on the occasion, principal secretary Dr. Sandeep Tambe remarked: "I am very aware of the work being done by 17000ft Foundation and especially love the solar powered DigiLabs they have setup and how students even in the remotest parts of Sikkim have been so comfortable with technology through this intervention.”

Secretary Tashi Chophel said, “We are happy with the work of 17000ft Foundation in helping us touch the lives of the students and communities of the remote schools in the different parts and are very glad to know the improvement and progress that we have seen among the students in the schools adopted by 17000ft Foundation.”

Sandeep Sahu, co-founder and director of 17000 ft Foundation, said: "We are grateful to the Government of Sikkim for the trust it has placed in us over the past five years. Over the last five years, we have witnessed the extraordinary commitment of the Government of Sikkim, educators, parents and communities in ensuring better educational opportunities for children. This renewed partnership is an opportunity to deepen our collective efforts towards strengthening government schools in frontier communities. We remain committed to ensuring that geography never becomes a barrier to quality education and that every child, irrespective of where they live, is able to realise their full potential."

As the partnership enters its next five-year phase, the Education department said they and 17000 ft Foundation remain committed to building stronger government schools, empowered teachers and better learning opportunities for every child.