PUNE: For scores of children from Mauje Ohali hamlet on the foothills of Kenjalgad fort in Bhor, some 60km from Pune, education after Std V is a test of perseverance, grit and a 16km walk.
Nine-year-old Sonam is already worried about her education after the next academic year. From June 2024, when she will have completed her Std V, Sonam will have to walk to a different school in Korle hamlet some eight km away for secondary schooling. It is a long downhill walk and a steep trek back each day, rain or shine.
Sonam is ready for the long haul as she wants to chase her dreams. Korle has two schools- a zilla parishad school up to Std VII and a Rajgad Dnyanpeeth school up to Std X.
“I try to attend as much as possible, but when my legs start hurting, I skip school. The 16km to and fro walk through the valley is tiring,” 14-year-old Rohit Pakire, a student of Mauje Ohali village, said.
The students lack transportation facilities. They were gifted bicycles by an NGO, but the valley roads are too dangerous for them to cycle. One of them broke her hand when she fell off the bicycle. Most stopped cycling and went back to walking.
The asphalted road built about six years ago has significantly degraded and now has numerous large potholes. The large volume of rainwater during the monsoon has caused further damage.
There is no state transport bus, otherwise we would have provided them with passes for their travel,” Santosh Otari, principal of Rajgad Dnyanpeeth school, said. They have four girls from Mauje Ohali in Std IX. “While two have above 60% attendance, the other two have hardly been in school. Another boy from the same village dropped out after Std VIII because he could not come to school and lacked transportation,” he added. Rohit’s mother Mangal said a state transport bus ran for a year some six years ago and then abruptly stopped its service.
Ramesh Pakire from the hamlet said they want a van for their children to go to school and return safely. “The roads here have started deteriorating and need to be repaired soon,” he added. Some students don’t give up despite these challenges. Pratiksha Pakire has been walking every day to school since she was in Std VI. “I want to become a fashion designer and make a name for my family,” she said.
Sanjana Pakire wants to become a teacher and improve the quality of education in her village. “I go to college and have to walk up to Korle to catch a bus. I finish house work and leave by 5am, walk for 8km to catch the bus at 6.30am and repeat the same while returning,” she said. She said the state government must pay attention to their plight and provide transport facilities. “Only then can I pursue my dreams without having to worry about the long and tiring journey to school,” she said. Lack of infrastructure and facilities have left many children with no choice but to walk long distances to attend school
Discovered on: 2023-04-02 23:39:00
Source: Students from hamlet in Bhor undertake 16km trek every day to school and ba…
