Adivasi children start crusade against illiteracy

GUWAHATI: Thirteen-year-old Ajita Kullu fought against all odds to attend school regularly in Tinkhuria tea estate of Sonitpur district. Born to tea garden labourers, the Class VIII student, along with her classmates from the adivasi community to which she belongs, is now motivating other children to attend school.
“Many parents are unable to send their children to schools.They mostly end up as domestic helps. Our group has been able to persuade many parents to send their children to schools,” Ajita said here on Friday.
Since last year, she has been part of a children’s group formed with the intervention of international NGO Save the Children and community-based organizations like People Action for Development (PAD) and Promotion and Advancement of Justice, Harmony and Rights of Adivasis (PAJRA).
In 10 tea gardens of Sonitpur district, such children’s groups have launched a crusade against illiteracy that is rampant among tea garden labourers. The adivasi children in these groups have taken the lead in spreading the message of literacy and raising their voice against child labour and human trafficking.
“We have helped form 20 children’s groups in 10 tea gardens of Sonitpur. Each group comprises 15 to 20 students from the adivasi community. As grassroots bodies, the children’s groups resolve issues related to child rights. If the issues do not get resolved, they take them up with the district-level child welfare committees,” said Chittapriyo Sadhu, state programme manager of Save the Children.
At a time when superstitious beliefs and witchhunts have become a bane for the community, these children are a beacon of hope.
The adivasis form one of the most backward communities in terms of literacy and health indices. A survey by Save the Children, PAD and PAJRA, conducted among 10,000 adivasi children in 10 tea gardens of Sonitpur, has revealed that about 50% of children from the community do not attend schools regularly, while about 40% of school management committees are not functional.
Of the 10,000 children, only 14% girls and 12% boys up to the age of three have access to integrated child development services, the survey said.
“Child rights can’t be protected without ensuring education and good healthcare. The children of adivasis are the worst sufferers in both these sectors. Poverty is so acute that human trafficking is on the rise,” said PAD director Wilfred Topno.
Assam has about 24 lakh children in its tea gardens. Topno said the health and education indices among adivasi children are deplorable in almost all tea gardens of the state.