BALANGIR: For children of the seasonal migrants in Balangir district, education is still in a limbo. The seasonal hostels that were closed are yet to resume; schools have not reopened but large-scale migration has started.
A large number of vulnerable children in their school going age are either stuck at their homes or many have moved on with their parents to their workplaces. With seasonal hostels in the district not opening, many children are also waiting to return.
In 2019-2020, the administration opened 62 such hostels in different parts of the district where 2,448 children of migrant workers stayed. Last year, no such center could be opened as the Covid pandemic swept through the State. The hostels are yet to open.
Most of these hostels are operated at different panchayats after assessing the number of children that need accommodation and academic support. With no survey conducted, no proposal has been sent yet this time.
The main objective behind the hostels is to ensure continued education of the children whose parents migrate for a long time. The school campuses turn into hostels and children stay there. They are provided mid-day meal and other expenditures are borne by the government. Such hostels are running since 2001-2002 in the district.
However, an uncertain Covid situation not allowing the hostels to re-open, children are left with no choice this year. District education officer of Balangir Dhruba Charan Behera said, “Little data on migration is available since schools are closed. If there is requirement, we will plan for the hostels,” he added.
Adding to the problem is migration. When reverse migration occurred last year due to Covid, 1.48 lakh migrant workers registered to return to the district. More returned without any registration.
This year, poor rainfall has affected farm activities in 42,000 hectare in the district. Expecting normal rainfall, farmers started cultivating early but subsequent scarce rain led to damage of crops in early stages of their growth. This has impacted economic condition of the people who take up farm activities after returning home from their workplaces in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Agriculture has been taken up over 1,21,874 hectares but out of this, 70 percent land faced drought-like condition due to low and erratic rainfall. With no prospects of rainfall and lack of irrigation in the district, farmers are staring at tough days ahead which will only fuel migration.