C’garh; 37 Schools In South Bastar, Once Maoist Stronghold, Reopen After 21 Years
As many as 37 schools, closed down 21 years ago due to Maoist violence: Officer
RAIPUR: Thirty-seven schools in remote areas of Bijapur district in south Bastar in Chhattisgarh, closed 21 years ago due to Maoist violence, have reopened in the new academic year, officials said on Sunday.
The schools located in the remote areas of Bijapur, Bhairamgarh, Usur and Bhopalpatnam blocks, once considered a Maoist fort, were blasted by the Naxals by detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) around two decades ago, depriving the local tribal children of basic education.
The district administration in coordination with the school education department has launched a synchronized campaign under the Right to Education mandate to ensure that no child is left without education after Bastar was declared free of armed Naxals on March 31, a senior district officer said.
As many as 37 schools, closed down 21 years ago due to Maoist violence, in the remote areas in these blocks have reopened in the new academic year, the officer said.
The Maoists had blown up the buildings of these schools by detonating IEDs to deny the security forces to take shelter in them during the anti-Naxal operations around two decades ago.
Majority of the schools are now functioning in thatched huts with the district administration providing education tools such as blackboards, books, notebooks and other materials.
The district administration has started the process of sanctioning funds for construction of school buildings, the officer said.