Nabarangpur: Even though the state government had announced to provide travel allowances to students after the merger of schools having less than 20 students, many of the students and parents in this district are left high and dry as the government is yet to fulfill its promise. Reports said that students in remote parts of this district are risking their lives and travelling through hilly and forested roads to reach their schools.
More than 25 students of previous Langalatala School travelling for over 6 km through hilly and forested roads to reach Muduliguda UP School is a case in point. The students are complaining of body pain after negotiating through the arduous terrain. This forces them to visit the school only for three to four days a week. The parents are also reluctant to send their wards to the school due to the threats involved in travelling such a long distance. The students who are not coming to schools regularly are yet to get travel allowance. Driver Bisoyi, a parent, and Premalata Jani, a student, have demanded either to reopen the closed schools or provide them with travel allowance.
Similar is the case with students in Nandahandi, Koshagumuda and Nabarangpur blocks where students have to traverse through hilly and forested roads to reach their new schools but are yet to get their travel allowance. This act of the state government has drawn flak from various quarters as the guardians have again demanded to reopen the closed schools. Sources said the state government had decided to close down the schools having less than 20 students. As per the decision, the state government had shut 110 primary and 24 upper primary (UP) schools in Nabarangpur district and merged them with the nearest school in the academic year 2019-20. While closing down the schools, the state government promised the guardians to either provide hostels for the students of closed down schools or give travel allowance to them.
However, the state government is yet to live up to its promise. Merger of schools had affected around 1,800 students of 110 schools in 10 blocks of Nabarangpur district. Around 14 schools each in Koshagumuda, Jharigaon and Papdahandi blocks, 12 each in Chandahandi and Tentulikhunti blocks, 10 each in Nabarangpur and Umerkote blocks, 13 in Nandahandi block, nine in Raighar and two in Dabugaon block have been closed down. The government had then promised to provide boarding facilities to the students in hostels but they are yet to be fully realised.
Among them, only a few students were provided with hostel accommodation while it was decided to provide travel allowances to the rest of the students of the closed-down schools. The state government had decided to provide Rs 600 as travel allowance to a student securing 75 per cent attendance in a month, Rs 400 for 50 to 75 per cent attendance and Rs 300 for 30 to 50 per cent attendance. The state government had also asked the headmaster of the nearest schools in which the closed schools were merged to resolve all the problems of the students of the latter schools. The headmasters were asked to prepare list of the students of the closed schools and submit it to the block education officer (BEO). The BEO would then submit it to the district education officer which will be finally sent to the district project coordinator for disbursal of the funds. It was then decided to credit the allowance of 10 months to the savings accounts of the students.
However, hundreds of students in Nabarangpur district are yet to get the travel allowance. When contacted, DEO Pradip Nag said, “The BEO has to first send the list of students to the district education office which will then be forwarded to the state office. The students will be given away travel allowance after funds are sanctioned by the head office.” Except for Koshagumuda, Nandahandi and Nabarangpur blocks, allowances have been disbursed to 550 students in other blocks, he added.
