Odisha: School Dropout Inspires Children Back to Classroom

Dom Pujari, whose father died when he was a child and mother left home for some unknown destination, is an inspiration for village children who drop out of school for various reasons. Dom was helped by a local social organisation and cycles to his school in Nandigon. Seeing him in class, other dropout children of the village are now back in the school.

Koraput: In an inspirational story, a boy in rural Koraput district in Odisha, who had dropped out of school halfway and got engaged himself in fieldwork, is a source of inspiration for other children in the village who do not and cannot go to school today.

Dom Pujari's father, a resident of Maliguda village under Borigumma block died when he was a child thus leaving him alone with his seventy-year-old grandmother Dasma Pujari. Dom's mother left home for some unknown destination.

Two years ago, Dom, who had passed fifth grade in the local primary school, was not able to join a higher school as his grandmother had expressed her inability to support him in his education anymore. He too went to work along with his grandmother on a small piece of land and spent time on the village road.

However, Krishna Muduli, a young man of the village, could not bear such a situation of Dom. As a volunteer of the Ekta Organization in Koraput, he had shared the story of Dom with the senior functionaries in Ekta Organization as he was working on the education and health of children in this area. The Ekta Organization workers decided to bring an opportunity for Dom to get education in school at all costs.

After explaining the value of education in human life and the need for higher education for Dom directly and also indirectly through some conscious villagers, Dom's grandmother agreed to send Dom to school. But there was a barrier for her grandmother to send Dom to a residential school at a far-off place crossing a distance of at least 20 to 40 km from the village without any vehicle to reach schools at Ranspur, Khadragada and Gumuda. However, to study in the sixth standard, the only way was to study at Nandigon High School in adjoining Dasmantpur Block, 10 km away from Maliguda .

Last year, Dom had the opportunity to study in the sixth standard after a bicycle was arranged for him to commute. Dom was able to bring the joy of reading while it was difficult to read after cycling about 20 kilometers every day. However, due to his joyful experience, many children like Sadani Jani, Rashmi Jani, and Sumitra Muduli who were not going to school in the village have been inspired and have started studying in the faraway hostels.

By forming a children's parliament in the village with the cooperation of Ekta Organization, Dom and his associating children have been able to create interest in education among children and parents. With the help of Ekta Organization's volunteer Krishna, they have been able to overcome the problems faced by children in enrolling in school. The children of the children's parliament have also complained to the local Sarpanch about the lack of transport from the village to different places.

Pradeep Kumar Bal, a teacher of Maliguda, is of the opinion that if a high school is opened in this village, it would help in tackling the dropout rate of children.

The district education officer Prashant Kumar Mohanty said that the government had also made many plans to stop children from dropping out of school. “A new hope will be transmitted to the children of Koraput district through the government's plan, the cooperation of Ekta organization, and youth like Dom Pujari,” he said.