Ranchi, Dec. 9: The tribal heartland is all set to climb another step on the ladder of learning with the state government planning to set up special residential schools for children of primitive tribes that faced with a serious threat of extinction.
The idea is to ensure these children do not miss out on education due to lack of food and financial constraints. At the special schools, each child will be taught on the basis of his/her grasping capacity and age. Later, when the children attain a degree of “social assimilation”, they will be placed in regular schools.
The special schools will come up in districts with a considerable population of primitive tribals, namely Sahebganj, Pakur, East Singbhum, West Singbhum, Saraikela-Kharsawan, Simdega, Gumla, Lohardaga, Chatra, Palamau and Ranchi.
“We have decided to start the schools for primitive tribes early next year,” said M.N. Kerketta, the director of Jharkhand Education Project. She said these would educate children on various aspects of life — including subjects taught at normal schools — but according to their needs.
The government has engaged NGOs to run the special schools on its behalf. In fact, it was the NGOs that had suggested to the government to introduce special schools for the tribal children.
The population of primitive tribals is about 1.4 lakh. This, however, is dwindling every year as the tribals are dying due to lack of proper healthcare, malnutrition and inadequate livelihood options.
“According to the plan, through teaching and grooming, mental faculties and knowledge levels of the primitive tribal children will be elevated so that they are on a par with Class VII children of a normal school. Thereafter, the children will be admitted in government schools,” said Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a functionary of Bharatiya Kishan Sangh, an NGO, which is helping the state in this project.
After their grooming is complete, girls will be admitted in higher classes at Kasturba Gandhi residential schools and the boys in residential schools run by the welfare department.
