MALKANGIRI: Two teachers of Malkangiri district brave the water current of a perennial river every day to ensure that students of Gajiaguda Primary School under Govindpalli panchayat of remote Khairput block do not miss a single class.
Headmaster Mariano’s Tete and assistant teacher Tapan Kumar Paikray have to wade through neck-deep water in the river from Khairput side every day to reach Gajiaguda as there are no boats or a bridge over the river. The ordeal continues for at least eight months in a year. Even during summer, they have to wade through knee-deep water in the river.
The school has more than 60 students on its rolls. "There is no other option for us. The children cannot miss classes and hence, we decide to swim in the river and reach the school. Their education is our priority," said the headmaster. The two stock another pair of clothes in the school and change after reaching there. "This has been our routine for several months now," said Paikray, who has never taken a leave ever since he joined the school two years back.
The inspiring journey of the two teachers has not only set an example for other teachers in the district but also earned them appreciation and accolades from all quarters. “Ever since I joined, for about eight months in a year we reach the school by wading through chest-deep water. We use inflated motor tubes and big metal pots to cross the river. Our problem would be solved if the State Government constructs a bridge over the river,” said the assistant teacher.
Gajiaguda is home to a small population of Bondas, one of the 13 identified Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha. Tete stays in Khairput where his family resides as the school does not have staff quarters.