Garo education pioneer Protibha Sangma no more
Protibha Sangma, considered a pioneer of education in Garo community, passed away at her home in Idilpur village under Madhupur upazila of Tangail yesterday. She was 88.
She was buried on the premises of her residence around 4pm on the day.
When Protibha Sangma's own Garo community struggled to find its place in a changing world, she was at the forefront. She had long been education's champion.
Protibha, who was born in a farmer's family at Idilpur in Madhupur upazila of the district in 1932, never married and contributed her entire life to the welfare of the local indigenous community.
Protibha studied up to fourth grade at Idilpur Primary School. Later, she completed class five to seven from St Mary's Girls' School at Haluaghat, Mymensingh. Then she studied at Vidyamoyee Girls' School in Mymensingh.
She wanted to study medicine but could not do so due to financial crisis. She completed instead a year of training on teaching in Dhaka and joined Mymensingh's Holy Family School in 1952 as a teacher.
In 1965, she was transferred to a primary school in Madhupur.
After the independence, Protibha played a leading role in establishing Madhupur Girls High School. She worked there for two decades until she retired.
The Daily Star awarded her in 2018 for her role in nation building.
Ajoy-a-Mre, president of Madhupur's Indigenous Cultural Development Forum; and Eugin Nokrek, president of Joyenshahi Adivasi Unnayan Parishad in the upazila, expressed deep shock at the death.
Comments