Field Visit in Dantewada

Faculty Feature Saswati Paik Field Visit in Dantewada It was a wonderful semester break structures for residential schools separately for boys and girls. expertise to explain her school and its practices well to the of the premises and overall supervision respectively. for me. I visited Dantewada District These schools are known as ‘Porta Cabin Schools’. The reason visitors. The school premises consist of an open space in of Chhattisgarh during this break. behind this type of portable infrastructure is that these can front of the classrooms; at the backyard, there are residences Again this premise is completely male prohibited, there is a Although I was officially on leave, be easily moved from one place to another. Such schools are of teachers and also kitchen for cooking mid-day meal. The van stationed for health related emergency services. The most but could not resist myself to constructed either in those areas where the Naxalites have mid-day meal cooking process takes care of environmental bothering situation is the isolation of the school location from explore a different terrain and destroyed the schools or where the schools are required. These concerns related to use of wood as fuel. It has a convection the nearest settlement. The school is located in an isolated school education in that terrain schools are meant for the students from standard 1 to 8. After system by which they heat the food in a chain process. Thus space within the village, the boundary wall is not convincing where challenges are quite different passing 8th grade, the students are sent to nearby ‘Kanya they boil food using a single oven, thus taking care of the enough to protect children from any mishap. Above all, the and difficult to handle. In this Shaala’ for their secondary education. economy of fuel consumption. security provision is also not at all convincing. In such a school context, I could connect some of premises almost 300 girl children are staying for the sake of our ex-students both offline and online. It was really good to I visited one Porta Cabin School located in Karli and another The school consists of some dormitories meant as residences formal education without any teacher staying with them!! know that some of them are working closely with children in Bacheli, both are girls’ schools having children studying of the students. The children are being provided with minimum Education City in Geedam Tahsil (on NH 16) reminds the IT experiencing different set of challenges altogether. Apart from from 1st grade to 8th grade. Here I must mention that there needs of their clothes required daily. They are being provided sector hubs of urban Bangalore. The initiative is no doubt that, I could also connect with people working in an NGO in is no Porta Cabin School in Chhattisgarh which provides co- food within the school premises. There is a vehicle stationed exceptional, creating a space only for education is surely Dantewada, could talk to some local people in Dantewada education as per the policy of the state government. at the school premises to take the children to the hospital for promising. However, the kind of environment created in this who could provide me an overview of the socio-economic and any health related emergency etc. As of now, the schools are special space set a specific pattern of educational outcome political context of the area. The school in Karli is being run by 6 teachers who are not taking care of all expenses of these students’ education and which probably matches the modern hi-tech world, but does permanent teachers for Porta Cabin school, they are basically daily life up to 8th standard. not match with actual meaning of education as defined by Dantewada district is well known because of its socio-political teachers of government schools and serving Porta Cabin many of the Indian philosophers and thinkers who have tried issues. I was curious to know how in this ‘Red Corridor’, the Schools only temporarily. It was also told by a person from Bacheli is a small township, around 35 kilometres away from to define education in different ways as per the requirement of education of children is being taken care of by the government. a local NGO that the government has decided to replace Dantewada, known for NMDC Colony. The iron mine of the society. In last few years, this state has shown some major initiatives these teachers by permanent teachers soon. The school has Kirandul (more known as Biladila) is just 12 kms away from like inception of ‘Education City’ in Dantewada, establishing provision for skill development of the students such as sewing, Bacheli township. Here the Porta Cabin School for girls is Within this premises, the schools like ‘Aastha’ and ‘Saksham’ some schools for enhancing education of those children art and craft, carpentry etc. little different. I reached there at around 3-30 pm when some bring different perspectives of education altogether. ‘Aastha’ affected by armed conflicts and also those children belonging girls were busy in burning garbage in front of their school school at present is providing co-education in its premises to disadvantaged groups of the society. The coordinator of the Porta Cabin School was kind enough gate. Teachers were not there. Three of the support staffs told for around 800 children. These children mainly belong to to explain everything to us. There are apparently many that teachers do not stay there, they come to take classes and the families affected by armed conflicts in Chhattisgarh in One major initiative is known as ‘Porta Cabin Schools’. The people who have visited this school including the Honourable return to their respective villages. Only three support staffs various ways. Many of them are orphans. Like Porta Cabin State Government of Chhattisgarh has installed pre-fabricated Minister of HRD. Therefore the coordinator has gained the stay there, one is cook, other two are taking care of cleanliness Schools, this school also provides all provisions for the Cooking system in Porta Cabin School, Karli Porta Cabin School, Karli Porta Cabin School, Bacheli Porta Cabin School, Bacheli 14 15 Faculty Feature children, but their infrastructural facilities and mode of living Despite all ‘feel good’ factors, some of the existing situations are quite different from those staying in Porta Cabin Schools. started popping up in my mind which are related to the Probably our school education system is still far from recognising the purpose of education which does not necessarily This school is English medium, the uniforms style is partially physical space, social space and provisions entitled by the comprise of formal mainstream education, rather must comprise of some development which help the students connect with western; classrooms are having hi-tech facilities. This school government. their own life and provisioning. Livelihood matters a lot in education and connection of livelihood with education must be surely can beat many of the international schools in Bangalore recognised at this point of time to spread the actual meaning of education. RTE and SSA framework have not yet touched city. The school is made to accommodate children from UKG 1. The dormitories in Porta Cabin Schools are hardly having upon that type of provision. But, with a mission to spread education in a meaningful way across all parts of the country, to 12th standard. Right now they have children up to 7th grade. good ventilation system, there are numerous beds one vocational education, skill development, education related to livelihood must be emphasized at a large scale. And that kind of There are 44 support staffs in this school. after another, almost without any space to move. How do provisioning is very much essential for the children of Dantewada who have been suffered a lot from armed conflicts in various Few metres away from Aastha, there is one more school for the girls manage their day to day living and study in such ways for years together. children with special needs. It is known as Saksham. There a space? But before getting into any final conclusion, we must explore this space more. Probably we and our students can work closely are around 170 children now enrolled in this school and all are 2. In the male prohibited area of Porta Cabin Schools, is it with some of the schools in these localities where already few local NGOs are trying to intervene. Joining hands with some of residing in the school premises. This school is well equipped healthy enough for the girls to be brought up without any them might be a good start to explore the following: with infrastructural facilities for visually impaired children, interaction with their gender counterpart? children having hearing and speech issues and also children 3. What space would be provided to the transgender 1. Socio-economic backgrounds of the children of Porta Cabin Schools and Aastha school; having mental health issues. I spoke to some of the teachers students having similar background like children of Porta 2. The challenges faced by the teachers of Porta Cabin Schools and Aastha school; who are specially trained to teach such children. These children Cabin Schools or Aastha? Are these schools literally 3. The governance system in education for these schools and its implication on the life of the children (beneficiaries); go to the formal school for 3 days and learn in this school meant for all? 4. The governance system of Saksham school and its contribution to inclusive education; premises in their special classrooms for remaining 3 days of 4. Why so many different types of schools are again being 5. Existing policies and practices to take care of the children in such armed conflict areas.

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