Nayagarh: Nandigiri in Banthapur panchayat under Odagaon block is a backward village. An indication of its backwardness is the lack of a single school in the village that is home to more than 20-30 children in the age group of 6-14.
It is sad considering the fact that the government spends crores of rupees under the Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) to improve primary education by making it free with added incentives such as mid-day meals, textbooks, uniforms and bicycles.
The government has launched the SSA or ‘Education for All’ movement to make education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 free and compulsory. However, all such efforts have turned ineffective in certain tribal pockets of Nayagarh and Nandagiri is one among them.
Parents who have admitted their children in a school at Ustia, 3km away from Nandigiri, hardly send them for classes for fear of wild animals on the way.
As per the villagers’ account, the children hardly go to school 10-15 days a year that too only during public functions. Not a single boy or girl has passed Class X examination in this village.
“Some boys manage to trek the forest and go to school. But, no one is willing to send girls to the school for obvious reasons. We have tried to approach the parents and convince them, but no one wants to risk the lives of their children while trekking the 3km forest to reach school,” a teacher of Ustia school said.
“The heart wrenching picture of the children here clearly shows that SSA and Beti Padhao and Beti Bachao are a flop in this village. Not only Nandigiri, there are many other villages that are wallowing in utter neglect and exclusion,” a resident said.
To add to their woes, there is also not a single Anganwadi in the village. Locals demanded the administration to ensure that their kids get education, which is their fundamental right.
District education officer D Abhay Kumar Mallick said, “I’m not aware of this. Villagers have not brought this matter to my notice. Necessary steps will be taken after talks with the villagers.”
PNN
