Baripada: The central government is executing universal education programme aimed at ensuring education to the needy, helpless and economically backward girl students in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) since 2004.
Crores of rupees are spent for establishment and upgradation of these schools. But updgradation programme has been caught in a stalemate in Mayurbhanj district despite allocation of huge funds, a report said.
Lack of upgradation of KGBVs has deprived the girl students of pursing their higher studies.
According to reports, the central government issued a directive in 2018-19 to open Classes from IX to XII in these residential schools. However, many schools do not have hostels with adequate beds to accommodate students.
Class-IX and Class X have been opened in almost all these schools but Class-XI and Class XII are yet to be opened. It is explained that lack of additional hostel facilities for students is the reason for not opening Class-XI and Class XII.
It was learnt that the government has allocated Rs 26 crore for construction of additional hostel facilities in this tribal-dominated district. In Mayurbhanj, a majority of population belongs to tribal communities, economically backward classes.
The district has 26 KGBVs where 3, 264 girl students are studying – 371 are in Class VI, 645 in Class-VII, 925 in Class-VIII, 716 in Class IX and 598 in Class-X. As per the government directive, all these 26 KGBVs should have been upgraded with classes up to XII.
Accordingly, the government has allocated Rs 99.99 lakh for each additional hostel three years ago. Three years have passed, but the funds lie unutilized due to apathy of the district administration.
Guardians of the KGBVs like Narottam Nayak, Sahadev Barik and Kalicharan Singh alleged that the officials concerned are not keen on upgradation programme of these schools.
“As upper classes have not been opened, our kids have to face a lot of problems in pursuing higher studies. After completion of their studies, our children have to return home and drop out their studies. We are not able to afford to pay for higher studies,” they pointed out.
Students of Class-IX like Sukumari Nayak, Phulamani Murmu and Jaba Tudu expressed concern over their fate after completion of Class-X.
“As upgradation scheme has not been executed, many students of economically weaker section will drop their studies,” they lamented.
When contacted, district education officer Pradosh Kumar Nayak, who is also project coordinator of the universal education programme, said that all arrangements have been made to set up additional hostels for seven KGBVs in Rairangpur sub-division while Rs 7 crore has been handed over to the rural development department.
Tender process will be initiated soon, he added. Similarly, steps have been taken to build hostels for 19 KGBVs in Baripada and Karanjia sub-division, he added.
Zilla Parishad chairperson Sujata Murmu said the issue has been raised at the Zilla Parishad meeting, but the district administration is not keen to execute the centrally sponsored scheme.
PNN
