Missionaries' contribution to J'khand's education pivotal: CM Hemant Soren

RANCHI: Chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday praised the contribution of Christian missionaries towards imparting education among the tribal communities of Jharkhand.
"For years, the missionaries have played a pivotal role in providing education to the tribal people of the state. In my opinion, the missionaries contribute as much as 50% to the state's education system," Soren said in his address as the chief guest at the 50th anniversary of Ranchi's Gossner College.
"I, along with my brothers (deceased former Jama legislator Durga Soren and incumbent Dumka MLA Basant Soren), studied for some time in a missionary school in Dumka during the 1980s. We stayed at the school hostel. Though I lived in cities like New Delhi, Bokaro, Ranchi and Patna, memories from the mission school days are still fresh in my mind," Soren said.
Gossner College, which is run by the Gossner Evalgelical Lutheran church, was founded in 1972. It currently has 27 departments. Together with Gossner school, it imparts education to roughly 9,000 students.
Soren said: "Covid-19 has affected the education of the children. During the pandemic, the missionaries went the extra mile to lend a helping hand to the tribal communities living in the hinterlands of the state."