Post News Network
Bangiriposi, Nov 22: The government spends lakhs of rupees for the education and welfare of tribal children and has set up residential schools with better facilities. But many tribal students are not lucky enough to get such facilities.
Here is a glaring example of how tribal students have to collect firewood for their hostel kitchen in a private school at Sorisapal village under this block in Mayurbhanj.
Sources said 90 per cent of the students of Marshal School belong to tribal communities.
However, the school’s hostel is plagued by problems. The school authorities are supposed to make provision of firewood for preparing food for the inmates, but the latter are allegedly made to collect firewood. For that, the children have to wade across river Budhabalanga, risking their lives.
The fear of being swept away by strong currents or being bitten by reptiles haunts the children when they are engaged in this task. The students said most of their study hours are spent in firewood collection.
Villagers had drawn the attention of Bangiriposi tehsildar Gitanjali Behera towards various problems of the inmates of Marshal School when she had visited the area in September.
The villagers also alleged that the students were tortured by
the school authorities.
Earlier, it was alleged that during harvest time, girl students were made to work in farmlands while boys were asked to cut logs with saws to prepare timber for sale.
Another allegation was that the school authorities had collected money from HSC pass-out students to issue them BSE certificates.
Our reporter made a vain attempt to contact the head of the institution over his mobile phone.
Meanwhile, residents of nearby Ghantiduba village and members of a local youth club have urged the administration to take immediate steps in this regard.
