In the tribal district of Dantewada, education remains in a precarious state with schools operating in huts and severe infrastructural shortcomings. In Katekalyan block’s Padamipara, a primary school has been functioning out of a 5x5 hut for years. The situation is so dire that the school doubles as a residence for the hut’s owner after hours. On a recent visit to the school on a working day, neither students nor teachers were present. According to Durjan, the owner of the hut, teachers arrived in the morning but left as no students have attended for the last 15 days. The school, meant to serve 21 enrolled students, is equipped with only two broken chairs, a rusted bell, scaffolding used to store midday meal rations and stationery. Official school documents are reportedly kept at teachers’ homes due to lack of secure storage. Across Dantewada, 39 schools remain without buildings, while 68 others are in such a dilapidated state that they are marked for demolition and reconstruction.

 

Despite the approval of Rs 6.5 crore for constructing new buildings for these 39 schools, no progress has been made even halfway through the 2024-25 academic session. Most of these schools are located in remote and Naxal-affected areas, further complicating construction. District Education Officer S K Ambasta stated that construction of the school building in Chikpal is progressing rapidly and is expected to be completed soon. Repair work has also been initiated for 513 schools in the district, with some already completed. The District Panchayat of the block has been designated as the executing agency for the construction of all school buildings in the area and added that a notice would be issued to the teachers of Padamipara school regarding their absence during school hours. However, these responses do little to address the immediate concerns of the children who remain deprived of a basic education in a dignified environment. With the current state of affairs, Dantewada’s vision for an educated and empowered future seems a distant dream.