Protest does help, school kids realise after trek

For 10-year-old Heeru Kashinath Bhoye, a student of Std five, the first thing that has changed for better over the past week is the quality of rice served to them. She points out that for the past three days, the rice does not contain small stones and worms, as it is sorted before being cooked. 8220;Ever since we passed Std four and came to Std five, we had no teacher,8221; she says, 8220;but now we have one8221;. She adds that the children were just having fun since the schoolreopened for the current academic year, in June and that the six-monthly first term examination was held around Diwali, but the marks are yet to be conveyed to the students.

Vithal Nathu Mahale from Std six says that the students were waiting for the supply of uniforms since the last two years. He points out that there is no drinking water facility in the school and that the children have to walk to a nearby brook to quench their thirst. The school has two tubewells dug in 1992 but both stopped working three years ago.

Meera Sitaram Rautmale from Std seven points out that her class is still waiting for a teacher since June. The teacher, SS Kapure, has been on leave since the school reopened. Her classmate, Shankar Tula Navale, says that their trek had raised their confidence and that things were changing, though slowly. He points out that a new watchman had been appointed and some officials who visited them last week, told them that a new headmaster would be appointed. Meera further says thatwhile the present headmaster, Shankar More, used to visit the school twice or thrice a month, teachers used to keep away from the school for days together. She alleges that the headmaster used to take away grains and grocery on his visit to the school. She further points out that since Diwali, the school had stopped serving breakfast of suji and that their meals comprised only of rice and toor/udith dal with a roti. She hopes that things would change as big8217; officers had visited the school and seen the things. Together, the students claim that their venture to Nashik was self-motivated and they had embarked on it as they were fed up.

A teacher, RB Gawale, informs that he had been told to look after Std seven8217; till proper arrangements were made. He points out that after the suspension of the watchman, BA Bedade, who allegedly used to ill-treat the students in an inebriated state, a kamathi unskilled worker had been asked to function as the new watchman. He informs that the school required ten teachers,but only eight were provided.

Gawale, who is managing the school in absence of the headmaster, admits that uniforms have not been provided to students from Std three to seven since the last academic year. He further says that textbooks and slates have not been supplied to students of Std one since June. He points out that he has heard about the change in syllabus of Std one, but does not know what has changed. He also admits that the stock of suji rava exhausted in October last because of which no breakfast was being served since then. He further states that since January, only rice, roti and toor or udith dal was being served to the students as stocks had run out and fresh supplies were awaited. The reside at the school, while the remaining have dropped out.

Budha Sitaram Tabale, the kotwal or police patil of Raite which has a population of about 800, wonders how the students got together and walked to Nashik. 8220;This has never happened before and I am sure some outsider has motivated them, he says,pointing out that the children had set a very good precedent, nevertheless, as their problems were chronic. He says that out of the eight teachers, one or two stay at the school while others visit only for salaries. He says this was imminent as the headmaster himself used to be seen in the school once or twice a month.

Project officer AN Chandratre, who visited Raite on Monday told The Indian Express that the children had lied about walking 66 km. He said that they had walked about 32 km till Kone village and from there they travelled in a tempo and later, a bus.