Odisha: Children From Low-Income Families in Rural Areas Most Affected by School Closures, Says Report

"Amar Chuar jiban matti hoi gala, (Our child's life has been destroyed)." This was the reaction of Nari Gudumbaka, 36, father of a 12-year-old boy Arjun, over the phone from his village Dhepagudi in Muniguda block of Rayagada district in Odisha. Just before the lockdown, Arjun was studying in class 4 in the village primary school. If everything had been normal, Arjun would currently be in class 6 in the upper primary school.

Arjun and his father Nari Gudumbaka while talking to the researcher

"Se bhal padhuthila, Sir mane kahuthile (His teachers said that he was good in studies). But, now most of his time is spent in playing with friends, grazing goats in fields and helping me in Dongar (hilltop farming)," said Nari, who is also the President of SMC (School Management Committee) of Dhepagudi upper primary school.

In the same village lives 8-year-old Kunti. Her mother is a widow, and being the only breadwinner of the family, she goes out every day for labour work. At home, Kunti manages the household work, from cooking to cleaning utensils.

"If I will not go out, what will we eat? Earlier, all my children were going to school, and from morning to late afternoon, they were in school. They had food (Mid-Day Meal) at school, so I was not bothered about their food. Now they are at home all the time. So my daughter has to take care of the household work," said Matadi Dinduka, a 38-year-old mother of Kunti.

Matadi Dinduka and her three school-going children, now spending time playing or helping at home and in agriculture fields.

Kunti has two elder brothers. One of them goes to Dongar (hill) every day to bring wood for cooking purposes. He also works in agriculture fields so that he can earn and help his family financially. This picture applies to most children of marginalised communities in far-flung villages in Odisha, who bear the brunt of the most extended school closure ever.

It has been nearly 17 months or around 500 days since primary and upper primary schools in Odisha are closed. The children last attended school in March 2020.

Findings of 'Locked Out' Report

The 'Locked out" emergency report on school education, conducted on primary and upper primary school-going children in 15 states and UTs, including Odisha, reveals an abysmal picture of children in rural areas.

Only 28% of children in rural regions studied regularly when the survey was conducted in August 2021. The survey also revealed that 37% were not studying at all. The results of a simple reading test were alarming. Nearly half of all children in the sample could not read more than a few words.

Most parents feel that their child's reading and writing abilities have gone down during the lockout. They are desperately waiting for schools to reopen.

Ramesh Sahu, a researcher who interviewed parents and children in Muniguda block in Rayagada district as a part of the survey, said, "During the survey, we noticed children spending time milling around the village and playing when they were not working. They received books from school but were unable to read as in most families, they are the first generation learners."

"When we asked some parents about school reopening, they said eita kana pachariba katha ki. (Do you need to ask this?)." Sahu added. 

"Initially, Arjun took interest because he received new books, but he kept it aside after a few days. Now, if I ask him to open books, he avoids it. If I could buy a smartphone, he would have continued his studies", said Nari adding, "If school reopens, I doubt if he would retake the same interest in classes."

Children are mingling in Dhepagudi village, most of their time spent playing and working

Dr Reetika Khera, Associate Professor (Economics) IIT Delhi, who was in Bhubaneswar to share the findings of the Locked out survey, said, "Children in primary level need more in-person support from their teachers than higher classes. But when the government is opening schools, they are first opening higher classes, not the primary level."

 Dr Reetika Khera, sharing the findings of the Locked Out report here in Bhubaneswar

"In these 20 years, we have achieved a school enrollment rate up to 95%. Now, it seems the continuous closure of schools will take the level of education of marginalised children 20 years behind. There is a fear of dropping out of these children when schools reopen because a child who was in class 2 and barely can read more than a few words will soon be in class 4 once it reopens," Khera added. 

Deprived of Mid-Day Meals

The closure of schools didn't just affect the children's studies. Many poor and marginalised children were getting nutritious food as part of MDMs, which has stopped since the closure of schools for the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the Odisha government provided dry rations of MDMs to the children of government schools, the survey revealed transparency issues in the distribution of dry rations. Most parents complained they received less than what they were entitled to.

Picture of school-going children helping parents in collecting firewoods for cooking purposes

"As the income has reduced, children's food intake in low-income families has also reduced to once per day. Earlier, they were eating twice. Some children said they eat once, either at lunch hour or in the afternoon. Children have not eaten eggs for a long time, one of the attractions in MDM," Sahu said. He added that the government should ensure that children are getting their MDM ration. 

Nabaa Gudumbaka, a 34-year-old mother of two school-going children, said, "The school has provided rice and some money as a part of their entitlement, but when we have no income during the lockdown, how will we buy vegetables and eggs for children? The dry ration and money were insufficient to feed the children regularly."

"All the family members eat the dry ration received through MDM. If one looks at children in remote villages, one can make out from their faces that their stomach is less fed," Sahu said.

Nabaa Gudimbaka with her daughter Bhumi and son.

Dreams Shattered

The pro-long school closure has severely impacted the lives and shattered the dreams of girls aged 14 and 16. In remote tribal villages, parents enrol their children, especially girls, in residential hostels for various reasons. When all the schools were closed during the pandemic, they also returned to their villages, putting their lives at risk of forced child marriage, domestic violence, and sexual and physical abuse.

Sudatta Khuntia, National Lead, Public Education and Child Rights, Action Aid, said, "We found a sudden rise in child marriages and received several child marriage cases from tribal-dominated villages."

"I contacted a few students who returned from hostels due to the pandemic. They revealed that they are unable to continue online education and are unsure about their future. As the hostel is a confined space, the government could have kept them inside and provided a safe space for them," Khuntia added. 

She expressed that there is hardly any scope that these girls will return to school when residential schools and hostels reopen.

Reopening of Schools

As the debate about the reopening of schools started gaining ground, the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) has recommended reopening upper primary schools in the state. It suggested the SMCs must be consulted before the reopening of schools. The SMCs and teachers need to rework the school development plan in COVID to develop a risk assessment and management plan.

Anil Pradhan, Convener, Right to Education (RtE) Forum, Odisha, said, "We have approached the state government many times to reopen schools in green zone areas, but, to no avail. When children in rural areas can play, mingle with each other and help their parents with work, then what is the harm in reopening schools?"

"Local Panchayats should be given the power to take decisions on reopening of schools," Pradhan suggested.

When asked about school closures and the future of her children, Adhemani Kumruka, a 38-year-old mother of school-going children in Muniguda, said, "We always wanted our children to study and lead a better rather than languishing in poverty and hunger like us. But now, we are unable to see anything beyond that. Tanka bhabishyat nasta hoi gala (their future has been shattered)."

Photos By : Ramesh Sahu