By Pragati Prava
Malkangiri, April 28, 2023: Sasmita Bhumia was striding fast along the uneven country road. She has to reach the community learning centre at Baliguda under Mathili block of tribal-dominated Malkangiri district of Odisha by 6.30 am to educate 70 odd students of Class-I to Class-VIII.
Baliguda is one of the few tribal-dominated villages, where residents have taken upon themselves the charge of compensating the learning loss of their children due to Covid-induced school closure from March, 2020 to February, 2022. Their initiative was supported by project Samadhan of the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), a Bhubaneswar-based social outfit. Sasmita has been appointed by the community members to teach the children.
She starts her day at the crack of dawn and after finishing her routine work and household chores, she walks all the way from her village Godiali to Baliguda covering 4km distance.
“She always dreams of higher studies and become a teacher. When we decided to set up the learning centre, we instantly appointed her as Gaon Mitra (friend of the village) to teach our children,” said Baliguda School Management Committee (SMC) president Ananda Pradhani.
Reviving Education amidst Pandemic Challenges
The COVID-19 school closures had led many children to engage in daily wage labour, cattle and goat herding and farming activities. Others simply whiled away their time playing and roaming. Concerns about education were minimal among parents, noted Anganwadi worker from Baliguda Sumitra Sagaria.
Sasmita had to battle the reluctance of parents and children. She initiated a door-to-door campaign with senior members of the village and eventually convinced almost all the villagers to send their wards to the learning centre. “Now almost all the children of three villages Baliguda, Tala Baliguda and Altuguda are regularly coming to the learning center and visit school,” Sumitra added.
“The children have learnt reading, writing and speaking. They are also efficiently solving complex maths problems, thanks to the tireless efforts of Sasmita,” said Dutika Pradhani, a village girl, who assists Sasmita in teaching.
“Sasmita Didi not only teaches us new subjects. She clarifies the doubts we have in the lessons taught in our school,” said Pinky Talapadia, a student of Class-7th.
“We are giving her a modest stipend of Rs 2,500. But, she is building the future of children of three villages,” said Babi Pradhani, the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) of Baliguda.
Nurturing Knowledge with Creativity
The key to Sasmita’s success lies in her innovative teaching methods, pointed out Ananta Kishore Swain, an Odisha-based educationist. He has closely observed the developments under project Samadhan in Malkangiri district.
Being a part of the same community, she understands the challenges faced by her young students and strives to create a comfortable and engaging learning environment. Sasmita employs a blend of songs, dance and illustrations to make learning a joyful and interactive experience pointed out Ananta Kishore Swain, an Odisha-based educationist.
Starting with basics like addition and subtraction of simple numbers and fractions, she gradually builds a strong foundation that empowers the students to tackle more complex subjects. She addresses the concerns of students by ensuring that they comprehend concepts across different grade levels. This holistic approach ensures that children not only catch up on missed topics but also develop a passion for learning, he added further.
A Journey of Determination
Born as the third among four sisters in a modest family, Sasmita’s journey is one of overcoming obstacles. Sasmita’s father is a mason and her mother is an occasional farmer and a homemaker, said Gupta Nayak, Sasmita’s neighbour. Despite scarcity and hardships, her father surrendered to her ardent desire for studies and admitted her to Government UG High School in Udulibeda, where she completed her matriculation in 2016, pointed out Nayak.
Sharing memories of her college days, Sasmita said she graduated with Education honours from Biju Patnaik Degree College in Gobindapali under Khairaput block. The only bicycle owned by her family was the sole medium of transportation to the college that is 3km away from her home. When her father needs the cycle, she has to walk all the way to college, but never misses a class.
A major part of her financial burden for higher studies was borne by the scholarship she had achieved by her participation in science exhibitions — when she was selected to district level by exhibiting her innovative rodent killer in Class-8 and then to state-level in Class-9 when she presented a model of electricity generation from water, Sasmita maintained.
When she completed her graduation in 2021, the world was hit by the pandemic. The schools across the nation had shut their doors. However, it activated the teacher in Sasmita.
A Teacher’s Heart
She approached all the families of her village to send their children to study in her house, however, only 20 odd children turned up. She turned her home into a mini learning center for these 20 kids from Class-I to X. “I was teaching them for free looking into the poor financial conditions, their families were going through. These children were the ones who eventually returned to school when it reopened in February, 2022. It is because of the confidence they garnered from the continuation of their studies,” underlined Sasmita.
“Other children were afraid of going to schools because they had lost two-years of schooling. Neither had they had the digital device nor the internet connectivity to access the online classes or the online study materials,” she pointed out.
“I was very concerned about these children who avoided going to school. I saw it as an opportunity when the villagers appointed me as Gaon Mitra to teach these children. Though it was no cake walk, I enjoyed the journey, because I love seeing children study,” added Sasmita.
My joys know no bounds as I witness the gratitude of my students who achieve good grades or secure jobs.
Sasmita’s journey mirrors the uphill battle faced by educators in tribal regions. Her passion has a ripple effect on the villagers to create a conducive atmosphere for education in the area, said Debjeet Beura, a volunteer, who advocates with the Mathili block administration for educational upliftment of tribal communities.
Educational Challenges in Malkangiri
The National Achievement Survey Report 2021 highlighted the concerning state of education in tribal areas, with a particular focus on districts like Malkangiri. The report underlined that these regions have been facing significant challenges in terms of educational attainment and learning outcomes.
Notably, Malkangiri district’s remote location, difficult terrain, and limited access to educational resources have contributed to low literacy rates and poor learning outcomes.
According to the Report (2021), in language, only 32% of students in Malkangiri demonstrated proficiency, compared to the state average of 35% and national average of 47%. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was even lower, with only 21% of students achieving proficiency, compared to the state and national average of 23% and 36%, respectively.
About the author:
Pragati Prava is a Bhubaneswar-based journalist, who writes on sustainability, conservation and indigenous communities.
Ms Kalinga