THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, June 27: Absenteeism is a major ill of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Awasiya Vidyalaya (KGBAV) in Palamu. There are 12 KGBAVs in this district.
What is most common with these KGBAVs is the high number of girls absenting or abstaining themselves from being a ‘resident student’.
It’s a capacity of 75 girls from class 6 to 12 each. But the common average absenteeism from class 6 to 12 is 30 girls a day.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Palamu Sameera S on Thursday made a surprise visit to the KGBAV in Nilamber Pitamberpur (Lesliganj) block limits.
Here in class 7th, around 30 to 32 girls were found absent on Thursday. These non-resident ones go home either on holidays or citing some family concerns, but once out of the schools, they overstay at homes invariably.
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Reasons Behind Prolonged Absence
This correspondent, a month ago, conducted an analysis of the factors behind girls preferring more days and weeks at their homes to hostels in the KGBAVs.
Girls who go home frequently get demotivated there. They see girls from other government schools in their neighbourhood who have more freedom to enjoy than they who are to live in the confines of the schools and hostel.
There are not much of recreational facilities available in the KGBAVs. Spending hours from 3 pm to 7 pm makes the girls of the KGBAV more homesick.
Some girls said they need volleyball instead of playing Ludo. Some desired films on police-public be screened for them once in a month. Some asked for outreach once in two months just for the sake of exposure to the outside world.
Parental Suggestions and Students’ Aspirations
A few parents suggested there may be a mini gym on the campus and if it’s not possible, then inmates of this school be given access to cycling in the radius of the school.
These girls back home find girls cycling down to their schools and they too begin to pine for it.
Sameera S is understood to have asked the warden to get in touch with the families of such girls who are absenting themselves from the school for a longer period preparing them to join schools.
Neglected Resources, Poor Maintenance
DC asked for proper lighting arrangements in the classrooms. As beds are in two tiers, ceiling fans are a hazard. DC asked for adequate numbers of the wall fans here in this KGBAV.
Sources said Sameera S was peeved to find textbooks and copies undistributed among the girls here. She asked for its immediate distribution among the students.
As District Education Officer Saurav Prakash was on leave, it was Sandeep Kumar, the District Superintendent of Education, who accompanied the DC during her visit to this KGBAV in Nilamber Pitamberpur on Thursday.
Sandeep Kumar told this correspondent, “There were teachers in every classroom. Classes from 7th onwards were on. As the admission process for class 6th is going on, its classes can’t be run right now.”
“The DC directed the warden and her team of teachers to have a better upkeep of the labs and computer labs, to begin with proper dusting of them in the first go,” he added.
