TS tribal schools undergoing change

After social welfare Residential school, it is tribal welfare schools and hostels, which are undergoing change with many reforms in terms of menu, academic calendar year, conducting special classes and conducting summer training to the students in various fields as part of summer samurai program.

The Tribal Welfare schools under ITDA got 80.40 pass percent of SSC this year against 33 last year. There are nearly 40,000 students are studying in tribal welfare ashram schools under ITDA, Utnoor and above 3,000 teachers are working in these schools in the district.

Tribal welfare officials are making serious efforts to improve the educational standards in the Tribal ashram schools and hostels run under ITDA, Utnoor.

However, it is too early to comment about the improvement in educational standards in Tribal ashram schools because with the recent increase in pass percent in SSC. It remains to be seen how these students will perform in intermediate.

The officers of agency education department say they have conducted slip tests, orientation classes and a special focus on Mathematics, Telugu and English subjects in SSC and this resulted in good pass percent when compared to last year.

Efforts are also being made to improve communication and English skills among the students studying in Tribal Ashram schools.

Project officer R.V Karnan said they have changed the previous school academic calendar adding that prepared new academic calendar taking the tribal festivals and Jataras into consideration and hoped that new academic calendar will improve the attendance of the students.

The ITDA also changed the food items in the menu and serving traditional nutritional food to the inmates of the Tribal Ashram schools for some time and also encouraging sports and games among the students studying in tribal schools and hostels.

Students of Tribal Ashram schools and hostels are now being called with the suffix ‘Stars’ as part of an image makeover to the schools and students and infuse confidence among them.

Regulate marriages of sickle cell diseased to save Adivasis

The Adivasis of Adilabad are experiencing a significant health adversity due to sickle cell anemia, a hereditary disease. 

Medical experts have identified cross- cousin marriages within the community as a major contributing factor to sickle cell disease.   

Officials and medical experts opine that regulating unions between the sickle cell carriers, positives, and normal people were the only way to prevent the disease from being carried over to the successive generations.

“Five percent Adivasis are suffering from sickle cell anemia in the district. This is an alarming figure, and it is high time we control its spread”, said R.V Karnan, Project Officer, ITDA, Utnoor.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency officials are planning to issue health cards about the status of sickle cell disease after screening nearly 5 lakh Adivasis in the Adilabad.

This measure also adopted in Gujarat at the behest of the Tribal Welfare Commissioner, Government of India and also counseled prospective brides and grooms about their health status and took preventive measures against the birth of children who were sickle cell positive or carrier.  

The incidence of sickle cell disease, seen in the Adivasis in the Telangana, is high among the Gond, Pardhan, Thoti, Koya Adivasis. 

Blood tests conducted by 40,732 students of Ashram schools and among them 2,600 students found sickle cell active.  Efforts are being made to screen students the junior colleges also after reopening colleges in the Utnoor division.

According to medical experts, there are chances of 50 percent children being born as carriers, 25 percent as positive and remaining 25 percent as healthy if two carriers got married.

As many as 50 percent children would be born as carriers and another 50 percent as normal if a normal and carrier got married. There were chances of 100 percent children being born sickle cell active if two sickle cell diseased got married.

The ITDA will issues while cards to the healthy people, complete yellow cards to sickle cell carriers after screening the Adivasis.

A doctor involved in the research opined that they could not impose scientific research on the Adivasis as they had their set of customs and traditions. They would have to accept the ground realities to save future generations from major health problems that posing a threat to their very existence.                    

      

District cops launched own police recruitments

District police have launched their own campaign for the police constables posts being recruited by the state government.

District police put up flexies at various places highlighting the number of posts under different categories and eligibility requirements for the posts for various communities.

It is highlighted that there was relaxation is qualification for ST candidates and they need not have pass intermediate but they should have appeared all the examinations in I and II year by the time of applying. 

For general students, intermediate pass is eligibility for applying the constable posts.     

Large number of tribal youth had applied this time for constable posts after knowing this relaxation, unlike in the past. The police also alerted the candidates not to approach middlemen to get constable jobs. Flexies were put up at major towns in the districts highlighting the details of police constable recruitment.

One of them put up at Ichoda by the police warned the candidates preparing for police constable against approaching middlemen who promised them a job in constable recruitment through back entry.

Superintendent of police Dr Tarun Joshi said they are conducting free coaching for the first time to the other than police that is eligible poor candidates at district police training centre.  

‘We are giving free coaching to 200 selected male candidates at district headquarters, and 100 each male and female candidates at Nirmal, said Tarun Joshi and added that good number of tribals have applied this time after knowing about the provision of special relaxation for them in education qualification for the constable posts’.

According to official sources, as many as 24,000 candidates have applied online so far for police constable posts from the Adilabad and among them nearly 2,000 are women. As many as 1,225 constable posts out of total 9,281 are reserved for the Adilabad district under the police recruitment.

Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) is giving free coaching with accommodation to 200 tribal candidates including women in Utnoor. Project officer R.V Karnan took the special interest and arranged coaching for tribal candidates.   

Giri Ustav a riot of fun, colour and laughter

Participating in the three-day Giri Ustav is happiest movement for many Adivasi students who ate pav bhaji, ice cream and pani puri, fruits salad free of cost at Giri Ustav conducted at Komaram Bheem complex in Utnoor by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA).

Festive mood was in the air at Utnoor where district level tribal school sports are also being conducted. Giri Ustav was organized to give new experience to the children and students of the area.        

Giri Ustav, first of its kind event has attracted many tribal students and general children from Tribal Ashram Schools in the district. Money coupons worth Rs 50 was issued to each student of Tribal Ashram Schools to purchase food items at the stalls put up at the Giri Ustav.

The Tribal students also exposed to many new adventure sports and played them free of cost with the coupons issued by the ITDA.

Atram Nithin, of Ghanpur in Danthanpalli studying VI class, said he tasted the pav baji for the first time in his life at a cost of Rs 12.

‘He also enjoyed some adventure sports with the free coupons, said Nithin.  Coupons worth of Rs 50 was issued to each student.

Other than Ashram school children also can buy food items and also play the adventure sports with their own money.       

Adventure spots such as Water walk, Trampoline, Burma Bridge (rope bridge), Rock climbing and sumo fighting balls which were put up at the Giri Ustav were all new experiences to the tribals of the district.

Project officer, ITDA of Utnoor R.V Karnan said ‘the adventure sports will certainly boost the confidence of the students and ‘Giri Ustav’ was intended to create different experience to the Tribal students’.

WhatsApp to monitor students

Social networking messenger WhatsApp is to be used to improve the students and teachers attendance and ensure teachers are punctual and keep a watch on health condition of the students in the Tribal Ashram schools in the district.

As many as 150 smart phones are being given to the headmasters and principals to share information on WhatsApp with the officials of ITDA, Utnoor and for immediate action.

There are a total 168 Tribal Ashtram schools, Residential school, mini- Gurukulam, KGBV,  satellite centres (tribal schools) in the Adilabad district.          

The move was also aimed to improve the administration in the tribal Ashram schools and speedy transformation of information like health of the students if any such incident took place and also to improve the student and teachers attendance.

Project officer of ITDA R. V Karnan took the serious note of the rising students deaths caused by fevers in the Tribal Ashram Schools in the recent past and found negligence of the teaching staff in such incidents in the inquiry and suspended  regular teachers, contract residential teacher (CRT) and contract ANMs in such incidents holding them responsible for such incidents.         

The move was initiated following the survey report that teacher are not coming to schools in time and manipulating the students attendance.

A senior officer in the ITDA, Utnoor said, ‘they were in the process of finalizing the companies of cellphone services and looking at whether a particular cellphone service company having network in the interior areas where tribal school located’. Earlier, ITDA officials distributed landline phones to all the tribal schools to check the attendance and pass on information to officials.

It is learnt that officials of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, purchased smart phones each for Rs 7,000.

The school teachers and principals have to update the information to the ITDA officials about the attendance of the teachers and students, any incidents, photographs of the students suffering from ill health so that officials concerned can react immediately to the incidents and especially in health condition of the students in emergencies.

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. 

Above 3,000 RMPs work in Adilabad

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor officials have identified more than 3,000 Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) working in 13 out of total 52 mandals and their number will be much more in the entire Adilabad district of Telangana.  

Officials are arresting RMPs on the charges of giving wrong diagnosis to the patients especially tribals and damaging their health and sometimes resulting in their death.

RMPs were asked to submit the samples of malaria tests and diagnosis reports to the medical department on regular basis so that medical experts assess the diagnosis given by the RMPs.

Agency medical officials say that untrained RMPs are creating panic among the people of the tribal areas especially Adivasis with wrong diagnosis of malaria falcifparum and dengu cases and referring them to the corporate hospitals in Karimnagar, Warangal and Hyderabad with whom they had connection and get  heavy commissions.       

It is found that 200 to 300 RMPs are rendering their services in the rural areas in district. ITDA officials recently seized RMP clinic in the Utnoor for wrong diagnosis and causing death of a tribal.The RMPs have been collecting huge fees from gullible tribal people for treating the patients.

However there were incidents where RMPs saved the lives of the people in interior areas in the absence of trained doctors. RMPs and also some fake doctors running clinics in the tribal areas.

Medical, revenue and police departments recently conducted a meeting with RMPs at Utnoor and warned them not o give faulty diagnosis like giving high dose medicines and antipyretics for immediate relief to the patients as it can cause health problems.

A tribal patient of Jendaguda in Jainoor died of faulty diagnosis by the local RMP.  Most local RMPs refer the patient to the government hospital when the latter’s condition become serious.

Another tribal patient of Pitlanaik Thanda of Sirpur (U) died while undergoing treatment at RIMS who was admitted there with serious health complications due to faulty diagnosis at a clinic run by a fake doctor in Utnoor mandal headquarters.

Collector M. Jagan Mohan wrote letters to 17 clusters of Compulsory Nutritional and Health (CPH) to keep a watch on local RMPs and their faulty diagnosis.

District Malaria officer Alham Ravi said they have identified more than 3,000 RMPs in eight high risk mandals in Utnoor division and in Kadam, Sirpur(T), Jannaram, Kasipet and Kagaznagar mandals in the district.

It is learnt that state government is planning to impart training to RMPs, PMPs (Private Medical Practitioners) with regard to primary medical treatment to improve their standards and can use their services in emergency.        

Generic medicines a boon for the poor

Generic medicines could be life-saving for poor if made them available in the agency areas and slums in the towns in the district as many poor are not in a position to buy the costly branded medicines prescribed by the doctors.

Two Generic medical stores at Nirmal government hospital and at RIMS in Adilabad town are being run successfully in the district. The generic medicines have proved to be boon for the poor.

The Union Ministry of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals will give Rs 50,000 fund for setting up generic medicine store. Many people are now showing to set up generic medical stores.

There have been incidents when Adivasis could not afford to buy prescribed medicines and succumbed to diseases. If generic medicines are made available precious lives can be saved.

Adivasi leader Kanaka Venkatesh opined that, it would be good if ITDA, Utnoor comes forward to set up generic medical stores in eight agency mandals head quarters where seasonal diseases are being reported every year.

ITDA can give instruction to the private and government doctors to prescribe only generic medicines.                

The Union ministry of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals will give Rs 50,000 fund for setting up generic medicine store.

Many people are now showing to set up generic medical stores in the towns in district. Poor cannot afford to buy medicines prescribed by doctors and succumb to diseases. 

Generic medicines are helping poor patients with their lower prices, thus reducing the medical expenses in the Adilabad.

The generic medicines medical store which was set up at RIMS is highly useful to the people of the district. Poor patients including large number of tribals from across the district come to RIMS for better medical treatment.

Patients are now purchasing medicines from generic medical store at cheaper prices compared to other medical stores.

Owners of the other medical stores around the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), and in the Adilabad town along with some doctors have been creating trouble to the generic medical store as the formers’ sales have fallen.

J. Srinivas, pharmacist at the generic medical store, said there was good response to the generic medicines from the people and added that the generic medicines prices would be up to 70 percent less when compared to those from branded companies.

He said generic medicines work in the same way and are just as effective and people should not believe rumors stating otherwise.

However, people of the Adilabad town for that matter in the district were not exposed to generic medicines as such medical shops are a recent addition in the few towns like in Nirmal.

It is the known fact that majority of the doctors promote the branded medicines with their company names but they never mention the formula of the medicines in their prescriptions. Doctors will get commissions for promoting the company medicines.

Patients and their family members get benefit in term of the less expenditure on medicines only when doctors write the formula of the medicines which are available in generic medicines.

P. Laxmi, a patient who purchased the medicines at Jeevandhara Medical store at RIMS, said she was surprised at the amount in the bill that was far lower than in the regular medical store. It is the way poor people are being exploited ruthlessly by Pharma companies to make a profit. 

Tribal ashrams get a makeover

Spurious seeds take toll on Adivasis

WhatsApp- based health app launched

Tribals told to use nets to keep diseases at bay

Toilets near Bheem's Samadhi