For the first time after Independence, a coherent plan has been constituted to build a school in Bachwarpara village in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh. The current DM of Balrampur, Mr. Vijay Dayaram, took the initiative to start a school in the area and made sure to put the plan in action fast so that the much-needed school comes up without any delay.
THE REMOTE VILLAGE
Bachwarpara village falls in Khadiya Damar panchayat in Balrampur and is located in a hilly terrain, around 8 km away from the panchayat headquarters. Around 30-40 PVTG families of Pahadi Korwa tribe are residents of this village. For ration and medical facilities, the panchayat headquarter is the nearest source and the people usually store a month’s supply to avoid commuting often.
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Dayaram said, “We set up health camps every now and then so that the basic medical needs are met. Similarly, around 40 children are living in the remote village who study in a very old-fashioned manner as there’s no proper school. They used to study in private spaces where classes were conducted by a local teacher.”
The officer further informed that building a school was always a target but taking the required stuff to the remote village was a challenge due to which the plan was not executed.
Funds from the education department were first sanctioned somewhere around 2002 but due to no coherent plan, it was never executed on the ground level.
EXECUTION
After receiving applications and requests from the local people, Mr. Dayaram figured out how a plan can be constituted where all the required staff can reach the village and a regular school can start. According to the plan, around two months’ time was needed to build this school.
Mr. Dayaram said, “Site selection becomes a main task at such remote areas. After the site was finalized, various regulatory approvals were given to the panchayat. After that, we planned that instead of transporting one material after another, we will try to take all the building material to the remote village in one go so that the transportation time is reduced.”
As the rainy season is going on, limited work is being done at the construction site. After the rain stops, the work will be done in full force and is expected to be completed in the next two months.
LOCAL TEACHER AND BENEFITS
A local teacher has been teaching the students in Bachwarpara for the past couple of years and is a very good asset to the administration. On this Independence Day, the teacher visted the makeshift class space and celebrated the day with the children. Mr Dayaram said, “This local teacher is highly motivated and is a great asset who can be very useful in defining a good future for the tribal children. Also, the children who are completing high school will get a chance to become assistant teachers in the state and they can become another big asset for the children of their tribe. They are usually seen conducting surveys and supporting the teacher in the village, which makes it even more motivational for the children studying under them.”
As the school building will be up and operational soon, the students will now have a regular proper school to study in, which will add colours to their dreams and give them flight, Mr. Dayaram said in conclusion.
