Tag: BDO

Helped by official, daughters of two ex-Maoists join school in Jharkhand

Source: hindustantimes.com

Daughters of two former Maoists were admitted into a residential school for girls in Dhalbhumgarh under East Singhbhum district, thanks to the initiative by Gudbandha block development officer (BDO) Seema Kumari.

Slain Maoist Sanjiv Munda’s daughter Sabera Munda and jailed Maoist Bhuglu Singh’s daughter Anisha Singh were given admission in Kasturba Gandhi Girls’ Residential School (KGGRS) in Class 6 on Friday.

“Their mothers have written letters to me requesting to arrange for their daughters’ education as they are very keen to go to school. I discussed the matter with the district social welfare officer and then talked to the Dhalbhumgarh KGGRS authorities who readily agreed to admit the two girls. I took them in my vehicle to the school on Friday and got them admitted in Class-6,” Kumari said on Monday.

She said both the girls had dropped out of school after Class 5 a few years ago owing to abject poverty and Maoist background of their fathers. “They told me that they wanted to go to school and become self-reliant by pursuing higher studies. We hope the girls succeed in their mission and inspire other parents to send their wards to school under ‘Beti Bachao, Bei Padhao’ mission,” added Seema.

Both the girls hailed from Jiyan village under Maoist-infested Gudabandha block, on the borders of Jharkhand and Odisha, about 90-km from district headquarters Jamshedpur. The development is also indicative of how East Singhbhum is slowly coming out of Maoists’ shadow of violence.

Carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head, Kanhu Munda had surrendered with his entire squad on February 15, 2017 by handing over their weapons to the then Jamshedpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anop T Matthew. Squad member Bhuglu Singh, also from Jiyan village, had also surrendered on the day. Singh is in jail. Sanjiv Munda, on the other hand, was killed in an encounter with the police in 2013. He too hailed from Jiyan village and was a member of Kanhu Munda squad.

Free tutorials by govt teachers for poor kids, Bihar village shows the way

Source: hindustantimes.com

A routine visit by a government official to a poor village inhabited by Mahadalits in Vaishali district a year ago to promote toilets has brought about a silent revolution there, with children being given free tutorials by government school teachers and their parents shunning liquor to secure future of their children.

The village, Sonodih village under Goraul block in Vaishali district, is inhabited by Musahars and Paswans, who are mostly daily wage labourers, hardly having any land for cultivation.

“A year ago, on direction by the block development officer (BDO) Premraj, when I visited ward number 4 of Sonodih village to conduct a survey of open defecation, people of the locality started complaining that they were not given money to build toilets. I assured them that toilets would be built,” said block education officer (BEO), Goraul, Sushil Kumar.

“Apart from building toilets, we also decided to open an evening tutorial centre, which was set up a few months back,” he said.

“Most of the residents have now built toilets and no more defecate in the open. Besides Rs 12,000 provided by the government, they also added their own money to construct good toilets,” said the BDO.

For the tutorial classes, teachers working in nearby government schools volunteered. “Shankar Paswan, former ward member, chipped in by giving a portion of his house to set up the evening tutorial classes. Initially, the students sat on bare floor. However, later, some people donated a cotton rug for the children to sit,” said Dharmendra Kumar, who is a block resource person and also a teacher at middle school, Goraul. Kumar also takes classes at the centre.

“The students, who earlier used to loiter around, have developed the habit of studying in the evening after school hours. Their parents have stopped taking toddy or liquor. We hold regular parents’ meeting. We advise them to use toilets, besides keeping the children clean to keep away the diseases.” he said.

A government official, wishing not be named, said earlier people used to booze during the evening hours, but the evening tutorial classes had changed the environment and now those who drink do so secretly by remaining confined to their houses. Liquor has been banned in Bihar since April 5, 2016.

Geeta Paswan of Pratham Education Foundation, which assists in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme, said, “First, we asked the villagers to remain clean. Then we advised that building toilet was important, then we asked them to send their children to the evening tutorial centre. Through this process gradually change started happening in the community.”

The BDO said there were about 60 tolas in Goraul block and when people shy away from taking initiative for any work example of Sonodih village is cited, where Swacchta Abhiyan had become a model.