Children of nomadic communities in a slum at Naubad are left in the lurch after the State government decided to close down a tent school meant to serve as a bridge to help dropouts join a mainstream school. The tent school was set up six months ago on the premises of the Karnataka State Reserve Police office on Auto Nagar Road in Bidar. Between 60 and 70 children attended the school regularly.
Tent schools admit students of any age with or without school experience. Teachers from nearby government schools are deputed there to introduce children to the basics of reading, writing, and calculations. Depending on their age, the children are then sent to different grades in government schools after six months.
The school has now been shut as rules don’t allow tent schools to function beyond six months.
“This is a big blow to the children who were discovering the joy of schooling,” said Sharada Malge, an activist, who has been supporting the children.
Ms. Malge, a home-maker, began identifying out-of-school children and urging the officials of the Education Department to admit them in a school. She later met members of the district child helpline and began volunteering for NGO Don Bosco’s campaign to bring back dropouts to schools. It was owing to the insistence of Don Bosco that the government set up a tent school on KSRP premises. “It functioned well for six months. It was the first government intervention in their lives. It’s sad to see it go away,” she said.
The children came from families of beggars, native healers, and astrologers. “Most of the 70 children, whom we sent to school, had never been inside a school till then. Initially, they resisted getting up early and going to school. But they began liking it. They ran to school every morning and persuaded children in their neighbourhood to come with them. We hope the school stays for some more months till the children can go to a proper school,” she said.
Children Ramu Madhappa, Navrang, Uma, Deepa, and Gangavva — who have been attending the tent school agree. Ramu, 13, said he has learnt to read and write now and would like to continue studying. They all want the school to be nearby. They have also developed an attachment to the teachers in the tent school.
Rev. Fr. V. Verghese, a member of the district child helpline, said he would urge the government to continue the school. “The spirit of the six-month rule is to bring the dropouts back to school as fast as possible. But if the children are not ready to go to a mainstream school in that period, the government should continue with the tent school till such time that they get adjusted to the system of formal education,’’ he said.
P. C Jaffer, project director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, said the government was open to the idea of extending tent school for such children. “We usually close such schools after six months as we want them to join a mainstream school within the same academic year. But in special cases, we can consider extending it,” he said. He said he would instruct local officials to visit the spot and submit a report.
