Banotu Aravind is an eight-year-old boy who resides in Godiyarpally tanda, located about 15 km from the mandal headquarters, Zaheerabad. He had to discontinue his education after the primary school in the village closed down.
And he is not alone. Five of his other friends also had to discontinue their studies. He assists his family members in the field when there is work or merely whiles away his time in the tanda when there isn’t.
“Walking 6 km every day to attend school was a serious problem. I was unable to walk the long distance and that is why I had to discontinue my education,” Aravind says. He is ready to continue his studies provided there is a school in close proximity.
Chandu Naik, an elderly person in the tanda, states that the lack of schools has forced many children to drop out as they were not inclined to walk long distances to attend classes despite repeated efforts.
Supporting his argument, Tara Singh, a degree student at Zaheerabad from the same tanda, states that children between the age of six and eight years would not show much interest to attend school at Malchelma, which is located around 3 km from the tanda.
20 children attending school nowThere are about 20 children attending school currently from the tanda and no one is sure if they will continue their studies.
“Earlier, the authorities used to run a school for students of classes one to three in the tanda and after that, students would start attending the school at Malchelma. But closing down the school has only worsened the situation. We need to run the school at least with Vidya volunteers,” says Kishan, a teacher from the same tanda working at Parsapally in Kohir mandal.
