Adivasis bring back dropouts to school

 

Kolam dropout girl students  

Adivasis have launched their own mission to bring back the dropout Adivasi students to the schools and colleges. Adivasis are of the opinion that education can bring positive change in their lives and are making all out effort to educate their children.     

Adivasi leaders have been visiting Adivasi gudems for the last two months to identify dropout students and students who discontinued their studies at SSC, Intermediate, Degree and Post Graduate levels.

Leaders of Adivasi Vidyarathi Sangham also collecting personal data of Adivasi students and their education qualifications and marks they secured in different courses and what they are doing at present.

Sangham district president Vedma Bojju said they are more than 5,000 school and college dropouts among the Gond Adivasis alone in the district and they are in the process of consolidate the data they have collected and to admit the dropout students at tribal welfare Ashram schools.

It is found that a majority of the students had discontinued their studies after intermediate and some of them after degree due to financial problems. Among them, some of the students discontinued their studies as they have failed to clear the subjects.

Some of the students are pursuing degree and post graduation courses through distance education mode while working in their agriculture fields and supporting their families.

It is also found that most of the Adivasis students are taking admission in social studies at intermediate, degree level as they felt that science subject were hard to study and they could not complete the courses if they take admission in MPC, BiPC, B.Sc, B.Zc courses. Very few Adivasi students got admission in post graduation regular courses in universities and that too in social sciences.

On the other hand, leaders of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Kolam tribe have started a survey in Kolam gudems to identify the dropout students two months ago.

District president of Kolam Vidyarthi Sangham Sidam Ganghadhar said they found nearly 260 dropouts in Class V-IX including 120 girls belonging to Kolam tribe and admitted them at various Tribal Ashram schools district.

Such surveys are also being conducted to identify the drop out students in other PVTG Thoti, Mannerwar Adivasi groups. 

Adivasis upset over displacement

Adivasis of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh expressed their anguish over displacing Adivaisi from their traditional habitation in the name of development and protection of forest animals by the governments.

On November 4, Addressing at a meeting at Mathadiguda in Utnoor mandal, national convenor of Adivasi Ikya Vedika Kunjam Pandu Dora of Andhra Pradesh said Adivasis Savara, Bagathas, Kondu and Kondoras are being displaced in Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakapatnam, East and West Godavari districts due to mining and promotion of tourism, Polavaram project and elephant zones in Andhra Pradesh. 

'While Chenchus in Mahaboobnagar due to Amrabad Tiger Sanctuary and Gonds and Kolam due to Tiger Reserve and opencast mines in Telangana', he observed.

He said Adivasis were under impression that state government will take steps for the development of the Adivasis in both the states after bifurcation but now they are being displaced from the forests which are their natural habitat in the name of development.

Former MLA Atram Sakku stressed upon the unity among the Adivasis of both the states to protect their rights by mounting pressure on the state governments and observed that Adivasis marginalized further in the both the states with the bifurcation.

Adivasi  Ikya Vedika Andhra Pradesh convenor Krishna Rao , Telangana convenor  Sidam Shambu, Madavi Shiva Prasad, Advocate Prabhakar,  Adivasi Vidyarti Sangham Vedma Bojju,  leaders of primitive tribal groups from both the states  also spoke.

Nagoba Jatara begins in Adilabad