VELLORE: At a time when education is widely considered to have been democratised to a large extent, the abject lack of schools and anganwadi centres in a Vellore village has forced children to cut short their dreams of education and seek employment as child labourers instead.
It has become commonplace for children aged 10-17 from Elluparai village, Peenjamandai panchayat in Jawadhu Hills, to work as child labourers in agricultural fields miles away from their homes.
Among the primary reasons for the prevailing situation is the children opting out of formal education en masse due to the lack of schools in their village, and the ones located in neighbouring villages (4-6km away) remaining inaccessible due to the extremely poor road conditions.
Strangers & child recruiters
Elluparai houses about 50 families with two to four children each. According to sources, over eight children between ages 10-17 are actively engaged in child labour in neighbouring districts and states, such as Salem and Karnataka, while many others go to work along with their parents atop the hill. There are only two children from the entire village who attend the Peenjamandai Government School, which is 6km away; they either walk or cycle, said Sarath, a villager.
40-year-old Geetha told TNIE that her 14-year-old daughter did attend Peenjamandai Government School till Class 6. However, following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she discontinued her education and is currently employed as a child labourer at a field in Salem, she said. Geetha noted that the 6km walk through forest cover to get to the school is an obstacle due to bad roads and also a safety concern after school (4-4.30 pm) when it gets dark.
A 17-year-old’s father, Annamalai, mentioned that his son attended Pallikonda Government School till Class 5, then switched to Peenjamandai Government School till Class 7, after which he discontinued his studies.
Occasionally, unknown individuals from various places, including Salem and Karnataka, visit the village and recruit children for work, he said, adding that his son was recruited the same way. Annamalai’s son is currently employed in Salem for a monthly salary of `300, on top of food and accommodation.
An acute lack of interest
The small number of students who remain resolute about completing their schooling, travel about 50km to attend schools outside the forest region, where roads, although quite worn-out, are still usable. Nonetheless, many of these students end up staying in hostels outside to avoid the daily commute through forest cover. On the other hand, a handful of students who already dropped out, have been attending the classes of a 23-year-old instructor associated with Hand in Hand India (an NGO) within the village itself.
However, Elluparai villagers asserted that the lack of schools and anganwadi centres in the village has contributed to a widespread lack of enthusiasm towards education.
Speaking to TNIE, Vanmathi, the 23-year-old teacher from Hand in Hand India, said that classes conducted within the village focus on providing basic education to children aged 6-14. While the total number of students enrolled for these classes is 17, in reality, only 8-9 of them actively attend them.
Vanmathi attributes this notable lack of interest to the absence of anganwadi centres in the village, which are typically the entry point for many into the state’s educational infrastructure.
“A majority of the parents take their children along with them to their workplaces, usually agricultural fields, due to the absence of anganwadis. The situation positions the children such that they develop a natural interest in working and earning rather than studying,” said another villager.
Halted shuttle service
Notably, there had been a shuttle service (an SUV) sponsored by the government that used to pick students up from the village and take them to the nearby schools located in Peenjamandai and Elanthampudur.
However, the appointed driver said that, although they continue to pick up students from Kundrani and other villages in the region, the service has remained suspended for Elluparai village for nearly a year (since June 2023) due to extremely poor road conditions.
A 50-year-old villager said that, as tribal locals, they somehow manage to travel the route and wondered if the difficult terrain might be why authorities seldom visit their villages for inspections. Still, the poor roads pose significant challenges even to the locals, causing vehicles to frequently overturn and giving chronic back pains to those who regularly use the route.
In light of the dire situation, Elluparai villagers have unanimously urged for the laying of proper roads and the construction of an anganwadi or at least a primary school in the village, for the sake of their children and their futures.
Collector VR Subbulaxmi told TNIE, “The construction of a hostel near Peenjamandai Government School is currently underway. In the meantime, we will organise temporary accommodation for Elluparai students.” Further adding that on February 21, she plans to visit all 25 hamlets in Peenjamandai panchayat as part of the ‘Ungalai Thedi, Ungal Ooril’ programme. The collector assured that during the visit she will assess road conditions, explore the possibilities of setting up an anganwadi centre in the village, and take concrete measures to eradicate child labour from the region.