A primary school at Domnighuttu Tola in Gangapur. Picture by Gautam Dey

Gangapur (Dhanbad), Feb. 26: Even as the government promised to spread education to every remote corner of the state, it has done precious little to develop the schools in Gangapur, a Naxalite-dominated area.

Located in the Baghmara block of Dhanbad, about 22 km from the district headquarters, the government schools here function under thatched roofs. The local residents believe the schools are in shambles as politicians do not visit the place fearing Naxalite attacks. The teachers, however, take regular classes in exchange of the paltry sum they receive every month.

Schools in Domnighuttu Tola and Chirubera Tola, a few kilometres from Gangapur, have around 70 students each. Falling under the government’s ambitious Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) that aimed to universalise education and eradicate illiteracy, these schools were upgraded to new primary schools.

But infrastructure facilities are yet to be provided to these institutions. Classes are held under the shade of matted dry palm leaves and students seat on hardened clay grounds. Electricity and water problems are obstacles too, said Class V student Teklal Rai.

Despite these problems, the schools have drawn a number of students. Interestingly, the number of girl students is over 60 per cent.

“The shiksha mitras and para teachers have to commute long distances to reach the schools,” said Kapil Deo Mahato, a para-teacher at a school in Domnighuttu.

Letters and reminders to the district education department to address the problems of teachers yielded no result.

“We have been writing repeatedly to the education department but a solution is yet to reach us,” said Radheshyam Prasad, the headmaster of the middle school.

Surprisingly, not a single minister has visited Gangapur in the last decade.

“Earlier, we did not have roads but today, even when roads have been constructed, our leaders do not come here,” said Kundan Prasad Murmu, a member of the Gram Shiksha Samiti in Gangapur, said.

Jaleshwar Mahato, the former state minister for drinking water and sanitation, said he had no idea about the schools in Gangapur. The deputy superintendent of education (DSE) of Dhanbad, Dharamdev Rai, said he would look into the matter.

Significantly, 24 per cent of the SSA funds (between Rs 24 crore and Rs 30 crore) is used construct buildings for around 100 abhiyan schools.