While India
is described as an emerging world leader, the future generations are not
nurtured or educated to face the challenges. Education among tribal children in
parts of Visakhapatnam is at the lowest even after 70 years of Independence.
Araku valley known as a nature's bounty with cool climate and also a tourist
hub is located in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. It boasts of a
population of tribals who have a lifestyle and a language of their own. They hunt
and gather forest produce like honey. The government schools that followed
Multi lingual system once educated children. All that was discontinued after
2011 and the tribal children today do not go to schools in Araku valley. Girls
look after their siblings after their parents go to work. They do not attend
any school as nothing interests them anymore because the medium of teaching is
not in their local language.
TV9 took up a
campaign where a senior reporter/ anchor was stationed in the tribal hamlets
for many days. The anchor reported about how today there are eight thousand
school drop outs. And with the help of a Balabadi volunteer she also visited a
success school run by Kiran Chukkapalli.
Kiran and his team taught through song and dance. Local volunteers were trained
as teachers and it is they who brought children to school. Children were taught
alphabets in local language and gradually Telugu and English were introduced.
Few children spoke flawless English.
TV9 campaigned
consistently showing these two contrasting stories to campaign for education as
a right to tribal children.
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