The Jabez T. Sunderland School
Since 2005 the Ipswich Unitarian Meeting have been fundraising in order to support a school in Shillong, India.
Funds are collected by members' regular monthly or annual donations and by fundraising activities, such as dinner
parties, concerts and the weekly Bits & Bobs stall.
Originally we started by supporting the kindergarten, but since 2009 our help has extended to the senior school
department to give the "poorest of the poor" a chance to complete their education and give them a better opportunity
to get good jobs or access to further university education. The school was previously only able to educate children
up to the age of 14.
The Meeting House is in regular contact with the school through email. The Secretary of the School Management
Committee, Pearl Greene Marbaniang, keeps us informed of the developments, sends us a yearly statement showing how the
money is spent, and provides us with encouraging photographs of teachers and students. Sometimes we receive letters
from the teachers and the children themselves, thanking us for our help. Two of our members, Tessa and David, made a
special effort to visit the school in November 2007 and Pearl Greene was able to come and see us in October 2008 while
attending a conference in England.
So far our money has been spent on the salaries of two English teachers for the kindergarten and nursery department,
classroom furniture and swings for the playground. At Christmas, children are given small gifts such as woollen hats
and socks. The money for the senior department is used for the salaries of five new teachers.
Since we have been sending money, the school has gone from strength to strength. The number of children has increased
greatly, not only in the senior department, but also in the other classes. The State is now providing some funds for
the extension of the school buildings.
Our aim is to support the Sunderland School until it is accepted as a properly functioning institution by the State.
Once this happens, the school will be able to exist by itself, funded by the State just as the other schools in the area are.
How it Started
On 10th February 2005 we received the following email from Pearl Greene Marbaniang.
I am a past pupil and currently the Secretary of the Managing Committee of the Dr. Jabez Thomas Sunderland School
(have been holding this post for six years now). The school was established in 1941 by Rev. Anne Margaret Barr to
commemorate the visit of Dr. Sunderland to the Khasi Hills in 1896. Until twenty years ago, the school flourished, but
when education became commercialised and westernised (the school remains vernacular non-sectarian) we found, to our
dismay, that it was sinking due to paucity of funds. There has been a mushrooming of English-medium schools in
Shillong and they are progressing rapidly. Today, parents, however poor, prefer to put their children in "English"
schools. As a result, our school (which was once the talk of the town and boasted fine products) is left stranded
in the middle of nowhere; enrolment has declined considerably and however much we wish to proceed, lack of funds does
not permit us to appoint new teachers. Now, it is only the poorest of the poor who study here. Ever since I took over
as Secretary six years ago, it has been my endeavour to try to regain the lost glory of my alma mater. The first task
was to offer the much sought after English medium of instruction, but we have not much infrastructure (the school is
blessed with a large campus, but which is a wasteland for now). We need to appoint more and better qualified teachers,
but of course there is no money. You may be surprised, but the school fees are a paltry RS250 (about £3) per student
per year; there is no other source of income. So even in our wildest dreams, we cannot afford new teachers and other
basic necessities. I have been collecting donations from a few good souls, but all that I get is just enough to pay
for the part-time teacher's salary. We realise the importance of proceeding to higher classes to attract more students
(it is hard for a student to seek admission to higher classes elsewhere after passing from our school), but it's just a
pipe dream. We must modernise the system but... I am sorry to bother you, but I saw a ray of hope for the school when
you mentioned your offer from you Church Board.
So is it possible? Is it possible for the large hearted Unitarians of Ipswich to come to our rescue? It would be a
benefiting tribute from us to the great souls of Margaret Barr and Dr. Sunderland. I hope I am not asking too much.
Please help us make our dream come true. Let's keep the talk going.
Khublei,
Pearl Greene.
Who was Dr. Jabez T. Sunderland?
Jabez Thomas Sunderland (February 11, 1842 - August 13, 1936) was a Unitarian minister and reformer. His lasting
importance followed from two lengthy visits to India. Sunderland's assistance to liberal religious movements in India
and his later support for the Indian freedom movement were of historic consequence.
Click for full article
Who was Rev. A. Margaret Barr?
Born in 1899 in England, Miss Barr was appointed a Unitarian Minister for the Khasi Hills by the British General
Assembly and Free Christian Churches, England. It was during her time of training for the ministry that Miss Barr
came to know of a little society called "The Friends of India" and of the cause of Indian freedom.
Click for full article
Where is Shillong?
Click for further information on Shillong