As many as 18 children of the Kembanur tribal settlement in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district have not attended their schools for the past two months, due to the absence of transport.
The settlement is located about 12 km from the Athani–Sathyamangalam Road and falls under the Kongarpalayam panchayat in the T.N. Palayam panchayat union of the Gobichettipalayam taluk.
In the early 2000s, over 50 families of the village, all belonging to the Urali community, left their settlement for Vinoba Nagar, located outside the forest area, in search of jobs and better education opportunities. Only three residents, M. Srirangan, now 74, his wife Lakshmi and her mother Madhammal, aged 94, had living there for about 20 years.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 however, 18 families who had lost their incomes returned to the settlement, built huts and started farming on their patta lands. During the week, these families reside at Vinoba Nagar and their children attend the Government High School at Kongarpalayam and the Panchayat Union Middle School at Vinoba Nagar, returning to the settlement on weekends. But this does not work very well for the families. “If we stay here at our settlement through the week, which would be easier for us, our children cannot go to school,” said Maniyal, a resident.
For the past two months, the families have been been living at the settlement, not returning to Vinoba Nagar, and so, the children have missed out on their schooling, as the schools can only be reached after passing through a 6 km mud road inside the forest that is non-motorable. “Elephants and other wild animals cross the roads and we cannot risk our children’s lives,” another resident said, asking for a vehicle to be operated by the School Education Department.
Currently, transport is available for 32 students of Vilankombai tribal settlement, located near Kembanur. Transport aid was increased for these students from ₹600 per student to ₹1,300 in August.
S.C. Natraj, director of SUDAR, a non-governmental organisation working in the area, said that a permanent solution for the problems faced by children of two settlements would be to start a school at Vilankombai. A vehicle could be arranged to go to Kembanur, and until this was done, volunteers could be roped in to teach the children, he added.
Chief Educational Officer J.A. Kulandairajan told The Hindu that the process has begun to arrange a vehicle to transport students to their schools. “Monthly transport aid, under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, will also be obtained for them,” he said.
