CHHOTAUDEPUR, March 22: While the governments are talking of grand schemes to bring about literacy, there are pockets of aberration, where learning is more of hardship and hazardous.The students of Ashram shalas here are an example of a scheme gone wrong. Started with the intention to provide free education to children in tribal areas, there are at least 50 schools in the district which are in a state of neglect.The tribal children between the age of five years to 14 years spend six odd years at the Ashramshalas.Many establishments have leaking roofs, at others there are cracks on walls. At few places students sleep on torn and smelling mattresses and pillows that may not have soap and sunlight for ages. There are others, where children are found in tattered clothes.Like torn cloths, there are broken promises. ``When our parents leave us here they are told not to get anything for us, as everything would be provided in-house, but from October last we have not been given even soaps or oil,'' said Kokila a resident of an Ashramshala at Devhat, managed by a trust run by sitting Chhotaudepur MP Naransinh Rathwa.Going by the book, every child in the ashram schools should get uniforms, a pair of shoes, the books and notebooks and soap, besides other things, every month. This includes regulation two meals. But.``We do not get two proper meals a day and have to go two kms everyday to fetch drinking water,'' says seven-year-old Mani at the Ashramshala in Chhotaudepur run by a five-time MP and an MLA.And meals leave a bitter taste. ``We often remain unsatiated despite the fact that there would be enough left in the kitchen,'' said ten-year-old Ramesh of an Ashramshala in Pavi-Jetpur.The schools also seem to have a uniform rule of keeping everything short. As Kripa of the school managed by Naransinh's trust says they get a second pair of uniform only after the first pair turns into tatters and is unwearable.The eight schools in Chhotaudepur have not received grants from the state government for the past three months. As a result, teachers have not been paid while grocery bills are pending. But those who receive the grants are no better.A school principal in Chhotaudepur S Jaiswal said, ``it is very difficult for us to manage with Rs 1,200 every year.'' She says they know about the leaking roofs and falling walls but says they could not do anything beyond writing to the government.A Pavi-Jetpur school principal said, ``The grants had been raised from Rs 225 per month to Rs 350 per student but this is inadequate to meet the needs of the children''.The children also had to do errand jobs as there was no staff to look into all their needs, he said giving insights into what the children learn about apart from school work.It is not that the authorities are ignorant. K Dabhi, Social Welfare Officer in-charge of the ashram schools, says the department was aware of the problems faced by the students. ``We visit the schools when we receive some complaint from the principals,'' he said. Otherwise, social welfare representatives visit the schools twice or thrice a year. While the officials give statistics, the trust do their bit to blame all and pass the buck around.Mohansinh Rathwa of a trust admits there are problems at the schools but says even if they give proper facilities, parents are averse to sending their children to the shalas. Manjula Rathwa, a trustee of another Rathwa trust, says the trusts alone could not do anything. If children have to walk to get water it is because the sarpanch has not arranged for a hand-pump at the school Amen.
