R.K. Roshni
Thiruvananathapuram: At the forest check-post at Kottoor, nearly an hour-and-a-half from the city, Kingini, a tribal youngster who appeared for his higher secondary examinations this year, sits behind the wheels of a four-wheel drive.

Kingini lives at Podiyam, a settlement of the Kani tribespeople inside the Agasthyarkoodam forests. The road there starts out tarred but ends up a navigable mud track, tall trees on either side forming a thick canopy and dark clouds hugging the distant hilltops.

At Podiyam, a small crowd — members of the three-tier local self-government institutions, representatives of the Forest Department, and a few tribal parents and their children — has gathered at the community hall for Agasthyante Poompattakal, a summer vacation camp for children from the tribal settlements. Organised by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) under the Social Justice Department and the Kuttichal grama panchayat, the camp targets children from the settlements who are yet to receive any school education or have dropped out for a slew of reasons.

The first five days of the camp are devoted to children who are 13 and above and the remaining to those till the age of 13.

However, the children who have appeared on the first day are not the ones the DCPU had expected to see. Of the 19 children present, 14 are aged 13 and above. More significantly, all of them attend school, be it the high school at Utharamkode, 17 km from Podiyam, or the English medium schools in Thiruvananthapuram city. There is no sign of children who are yet to get any formal education or have dropped out midway.

Though certainly unexpected, this is not a major setback, for the DCPU team sees in them an opportunity to get more children to the camp. While some members of the team go about putting the children at ease and familiarising them with one another, a couple of others set out in a vehicle to the settlements to bring more children to the camp.

Study conducted

They have made this journey before. In January, the DCPU had visited various settlements for two days and conducted a detailed study of the problems faced by the children here.

Accompanying Srinesh S. Anil, convener of the camp’s organising committee, to the settlements is Rahul, another youngster from Podiyam who is pursuing his B.Com. in a private institution.

Kingini, Rahul, Surendran, and a few other youth of Podiyam are at the forefront of efforts to bring the children to the camp. While they are models for younger children, it is also a fact that they had someone in their family who had had some degree of education and backed them to the hilt.

Kuttichal grama panchayat president G. Manikanthan estimates that nearly 20 per cent of the tribal children in the Kottoor settlements do not go to school.

There are two single-teacher schools called Multi-Grade Learning Centres (MGLC) at Mangodu and Podiyam, but since children from Class 1 to 4 are taught together here, it is suspect if they pick up anything but the most rudimentary lessons.

There is also a Seva Bharathi school at Pothode, another settlement, where children can study till Class 4.

While most children in Podiyam go to school, there are settlements such as Vlavila, Pattampara, and Kamalakam where there are qute a few dropouts, mostly owing to parents’ disinclination to send their wards to school, says District Child Protection Officer Subair K.K.

It does not help that the nearest upper primary school is at Kottoor, 12 km from Podiyam, high school at Utharamkode, 17 km away, and higher secondary school at Kuttichal, 20 km away.

Poor infrastructure

The distance, coupled with bad roads and lack of transport, is one reason why children do not remain in schools. Travel through forest roads for long hours is not only arduous but also hazardous, particularly for younger children, prompting many parents to retain them home.

The lack of transport also forces many tribespeople to send their children to live in hostels while still young. Once back home for vacations, these children are reluctant to return to school. They also face discrimination in many such hostels, adding to their reluctance.

The Scheduled Tribe Department runs seven vehicles here under Gothra Sarathi, a project to provide free transportation to tribal children, says Srinesh as he heads out to the settlements. Owing to the lack of proper roads, some children have to walk 2-3 km just to reach the vehicles. As these ply to more than one settlement at a time, students often reach school late, and are forced to leave early too.

As per the Right to Education Act, the government has to ensure access to education to all, with a primary school within 1-km radius of every residential locality. The local self-government members allege government apathy and neglect, with no steps taken to set up a school for years.

They are now pinning their hopes on a proposal for a lower primary school at Podiyam, which can be reached relatively easily from the settlements in the area.

Meanwhile, Srinesh and Rahul have had some success, being able to bring five children from Vlavila to the camp. They had earlier visited Anakaal, just seven km from Podiyam, but did not meet any of the children, who were away looking for firewood. The next morning, they manage to bring two children from there, but soon, only one remains, the other having headed back.

“There is no other way but this to bring the children here,” says Subair.

Plans are also afoot to launch a youth club, the tribal youth bonding over their love for football. The club is expected to be a catalyst in change, recalling the role of such clubs in arresting the dropout rate, says Subair. It will also coordinate further activities.

By the time the 10-day camp concludes, 101 children have taken part, six of them from Anakaal. But the job is not done.

“We will continue to visit the settlements to ensure that all children go to school,” says Subair, affirming that no stone will be left unturned in this mission.

(Source: The Hindu)