Andhra Pradesh: Tribal Villagers Build Makeshift School For Students Who Travel Risky Roads To Attain Education

Education is a right entitled to all Indian citizens, but the extent to which it is accessible for all is debatable. Students from many remote rural regions continue to travel for hours through challenging plains to reach government schools.

Time and again, incidents of rural students placing their life at risk to attain education were reported by multiple media houses. With not much change being brought in, villagers of the Kondu tribe in Andhra Pradesh took it upon themselves to ensure their children's safety and education by building a school in their village.

Vulnerable Groups Working On Their Strengths

As many as 18 families and 28 children from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PTG) reside in the two villages of Neredubandha and Panukulabanda. Among them, about 12 children were enrolled this year to a school five kilometres from their village in Jogampeta. The enrolled students, upon marking the mandatory 75 per cent attendance, would be able to avail benefits under the State government's Amma Vodi scheme. For this reason, the students make it a point to reach their school either on foot or on horseback due to the lack of proper motorable roads.

In regard to the students' plight, the villagers conducted a meeting to discuss the safety concerns of children going to school on horseback and the tiger movement in the region, which could cause human-animal conflict. Based on the discussions, they decided to construct a makeshift school at the Neredubandha village, which would make it easier for children to attend school.

Communities Coming Together To Educate Children

Each family in the villages contributed ₹500 to purchase 500 tiles from Kothapeta, which were then brought to Jogampeta in auto and then carried to Neredubandha on horseback. The tribals charted the project on their own and collected wood and other materials from the nearby forest. As many as 60 tribesmen, including children, lent their hands and completed the school construction in about ten days.

The humble school was envisioned by the village elders in hopes of the government appointing a teacher at their village school. A report by New Indian Express quoted the elderly in the village saying, "We urge the ITDA project officer to visit our village, understand the conditions we are living in and do the needful." Story of the villagers' efforts has travelled over seas, and an Indian doctor from the United States has now promised the villagers a decent school building.

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