Children in four tribal hamlets in T.N. to be taken to school in Forest Dept. vehicle

To address the issue of high dropout rates among students in four remote tribal hamlets, located within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, in association with a Sathyamangalam-based NGO, has taken measures to ensure they are transported to two schools located in Talamalai panchayat of Talavadi taluk.

To address the issue of high dropout rates among students in four remote tribal hamlets, located within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, in association with a Sathyamangalam-based NGO, has taken measures to ensure they are transported to two schools located in Talamalai panchayat of Talavadi taluk.

The hamlets — Ittarai, Thadasalatti, Mavanatham, and Ramanarai — are located in the Talamalai Forest Range of the Sathyamangalam Division. A study by the Rights Education and Development Centre (READ) revealed that 60 students of Classes 1 to 10 from these hamlets frequently missed classes.

While Mavanatham and Ramanarai are located along the Dhimbam-Talamalai road, Ittarai and Thadasalatti are located eight kilometres away from the road and lack proper tar-topped roads.

R. Karuppasamy, Director of READ, said the absence of a bus service to the schools was the major contributor to student absenteeism in these hamlets. “Most of their parents are illiterate, and due to a lack of awareness on the importance of education, they take little effort in sending their children to school located 5 to 15 km away,” he said.

In the monsoon season, the only TNSTC bus operating to these hamlets cannot run due to poor roads and flooding. This issue was discussed with Kulal Yogesh Vilas, Deputy Director of STR and District Forest Officer of Sathyamangalam Division, after which the Forest Department and the NGO decided to work together to address the problem.

The plan involves using a 25-seater STR vehicle to transport students to the two schools, with the NGO covering the fuel costs, the driver and caretaker’s salaries, and the cost of vehicle maintenance.

The vehicle will pick up students from Ittarai and Thadasalatti at 7.30 a.m. and drop them at the Government Tribal Residential Middle School at Bejalatti. It will then pick up students from Mavanatham and Ramanarai and drop them at the Government Tribal Residential High School at Talamalai.