THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, February 11: Hyderabad-based Food4Thought has awarded Baba Kartik Oraon Ratri Pathshala, run by IPS-turned-BJP leader Dr Arun Oraon in Jharkhand.
At a recent function in Hyderabad, Amar Singh Tilawat, National Vice President of All India Tribal Development Council, received the award. The council operates these schools.
Food4Thought Foundation operates more than 300 libraries across India and strives to make books available in the remote corners.
Pride for all
Elated, Dr Arun Oraon said, “This is a matter of immense pride and respect for all our young teachers, parents, students and council colleagues. This award encourages us to work with double enthusiasm to raise the education level of poor children.”
128 Ratri Pathshalas
Notably, poor children from 128 different villages across three districts of Jharkhand spend their evenings in ‘Ratri Pathshalas’ where they learn about fluent speaking methods, how to debate, dance, music, sports and computers. The classes take place every evening for around two and a half hours. These pathshalas mainly consist of jute rugs laid in public areas of villages and are illuminated by one or two emergency lights.
Dr Arun Oraon, former IG of Punjab Police, started this initiative seven years back to conduct night schools in villages across Jharkhand. There is no fee for the students in the school nor any salary for the teachers.
Currently, 128 such schools have come up in three districts of the state, namely Ranchi, Lohardaga and Gumla.
The night school has been named after veteran politician Baba Kartik Oraon.
Dr Oraon took his voluntary retirement in 2014 and came back to Jharkhand. Since then, he has been involved in politics after joining the BJP and continuing this initiative.
Voluntary retirement
“When I took voluntary retirement from my job, I started teaching some children at home. That’s when I realised that something should be done for the rural children so that they get a good education. That’s how a plan was made to operate ‘Baba Karthik Oraon Ratri pathshala’.
It started from Uchri village under the Mandar block of Ranchi,” Dr Oraon said.
He said there were just three children on the first day he started the school. Later, 40 children gathered weekly, and about 50 to 150 students visited every school daily.
“Children are enjoying these schools so much that they knock on the teacher’s door if he/she is absent for personal reasons,” he pointed out.
Workshop for teachers
He said the All-India Tribal Development Council holds workshops from time to time for the teachers of Ratri Pathshalas, where they are taught how to make reading easy and exciting.
“Computers have been provided to several schools, where digital classes have been started through projectors,” he added.
Efforts are being made to improve the children’s Mathematics, English and Science studies. Classes are held for children from classes 1 to 9. Libraries have also been set up in many schools.
“We plan to extend it for class X students also,” Dr Oraon added.
Parha system revived
The operation of night schools has also helped revive the Parha system, a traditional tribal justice system, and wean tribals off liquor addiction in villages.
“We have revived the inter-village organisation of the regional panchayat, known as Parha, at Uchri village,” said Anil Oraon, one of the school’s coordinators.
“We have resolved most of the disputes in recent years at the panchayat level,” he pointed out.
