RANCHI: In a ray of hope for the 35 families living in Bidikai village of Jharkhand's Khunti, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Ranchi has stepped in to sponsor basic primary education to the children here who have long been deprived of it due to the absence of a school.
Only 5-6 students can afford to go to the school located several kilometres from the village, while the remaining 25-30 children remain completely deprived of education.
After The New Indian Express published a report No roads, no schools: Modern facilities merely a dream in Jharkhand's Budikai village on December 24, highlighting the plight of the kids, IIM-Ranchi has stepped forward to help them out.
IIM officials said they have decided to provide financial assistance to the village in establishing a makeshift school so that children can at least get primary education.
The decision was taken following a field visit done by a team from IIM-Ranchi headed by Assistant Professor Gaurav Marathe.
“As a temporary arrangement, we will utilise the funds raised by the students of IIM-Ranchi through a programme ‘Joy of Giving,’ and help the villagers in building a makeshift shed where children can sit and get primary education. Thanks to The New Indian Express which highlighted the issue and after coming across the report published by the newspaper, the IIM-Ranchi management decided to help out the village from this sorry state,” said Assistant Professor Gaurav Marathe.
The most educated person of the village, Bogan Hans, who is also a non- matric, will teach the students for which he will get a fixed amount of money every month from IIM-Ranchi, he added.
To make it happen on the ground, it was decided during the meeting with the villagers and IIM-Ranchi team on Wednesday that a committee will be formed and a bank account opened to transfer funds from IIM-Ranchi. The entire cost of the construction of the shed and operation of the school will be borne by donations made by students of IIM-Ranchi and funds collected through various other means.
A team of 25-30 students from IIM-Ranchi will again visit Budikai village on January 12, meticulously study its problems and work towards finding solutions to them.
Notably, modern facilities have failed to reach Budikai village even after 78 years of independence. It still lacks roads, schools, electricity and safe drinking water, forcing villagers to depend largely on their surrounding environment for survival.
The only way to reach the village is through a roughly carved path along the mountains, built entirely by the residents themselves.
Of all necessary amenities, the absence of educational facilities has been the most striking; not a single resident of Budikai has passed the Class 10 exams so far. Villagers said that there used to be a primary school in the village before, but it was merged with another school located away from the village, possibly because of low attendance.