Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 24 : Once disconnected from the mainstream of development, Abujhmad is now witnessing a new dawn as the administration of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district has initiated a 'School Keinta' campaign to encourage children towards pursuing education.
After the gun fell silent, the administration has launched the 'School Keinta' campaign and under this campaign initiative has been taken to ensure enrolment of children in schools and also bring back dropouts. School Keinta translated as 'school is calling'
"Under the 'School Keinta' campaign, the district administration conducted a survey of nearly 22,000 families. During the survey, the administration has identified around 1400 children who had never been to school and nearly 1700 children who had dropped out midway. Special efforts were made to re-integrate these children into schools," said Narayanpur Collector Namrata Jain.
Now, through summer camps, children are being connected not just to academics, but also to local art, culture, storytelling, and modern technologies, added the Collector.
Moreover, the children are being taught about operating drones, and they are very much excited about it, informed the Collector.
According to the officials of district administration, the summer camp organised at village Garpa under Abujhmad region has enhanced the creativity of these children. While some children are drawing pictures of their village, several others are showing a keen interest in small science experiments. Similarly, the drone boy Rohit Kunkutti, who skilfully handles a drone with his tiny hands, has also mastered the art of painting. Rohit drew a picture of his village featuring roads, bridges, electricity poles, a bus, fields, a river, and even a temple.
Rohit shared that earlier, there were no roads in the village, but now development is visible, and he has captured that very change in his painting.
Officials of the district administration pointed out that the imagination of these children not just reflects the present, but also the future. At the summer camp, along with painting, sculpting, story writing, local sports, and nature-related activities, children are being introduced to modern technologies. Here, they are learning the technique of operating drones and understanding models of rockets and missile launchers. In an area where the administration's reach was once negligible and no public representative ever visited, a new world of science and technology is opening up for the children.
According to Siyavati, a student of class-I, shared that she used to graze cows. Thanks to the efforts of the teachers and the administration, she now attends school regularly and is studying.
Vivek Kumar, a student, now confidently recites the alphabet in English and counts from 1 to 100. The summer camp connects children with science and creativity through playful methods.
"Shiksharth Trust and Narayanpur district administration are working together to reach village after village. We are running a campaign to identify school dropouts and non-enrolled children to bring them to school. By conducting fairs and summer camps, we are connecting children as well as their parents to the schools," said Suman Jain, a teacher at Shiksharth Trust.
Jain further informed that for the painting activity, children were given special themes like How was your village before?, and How do you want to see it in the future? Interestingly, most of the children's drawings prominently feature roads, schools, electricity, hospitals, and other symbols of development. This means the canvas of dreams for the children of Abujhmad is changing.
As the naxalism eradicated, a positive environment for education has emerged in the villages, said an officer of the district administration Jitendra Dhankar.
Now, parents want their children to study, progress, and dream big, said Dhankar, adding that children of Abujhmad are talking about becoming doctors, engineers, teachers, and scientists.
This is the biggest success of this campaign, pointed out by the officials.