Left waiting, villagers in Maoist-affected Madpa build their own school

After months of waiting in vain for government assistance, the residents of Madpa village in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district have taken it upon themselves to secure their children’s education.

They constructed a bamboo-thatched school hut through collective donations and voluntary labour after repeated appeals to repair their crumbling government school went unanswered.

Advertisement

The initiative, born out of necessity in the Maoist-affected tribal region of Antagarh, underscores the pressing challenges in rural education infrastructure and reflects the community’s determination to bridge governance gaps on their own.

“We submitted complaints to the MP, MLA, and even the Collector, but nothing moved. Finally, we realised we could not wait any longer,” said a member of the village school committee.

With ₹45,000 raised locally, the villagers built a makeshift structure now serving as a classroom for 44 students enrolled in the primary and middle school.

The original school building, locals say, poses a grave risk. Its roof leaks heavily during the monsoons, the walls are cracked, and the structure is feared to be unstable. “Water doesn’t seep—it pours in. It’s dangerous to let children sit inside,” said Sunita, a parent of two school-going children.

Kanker Collector Neelesh Kshirsagar acknowledged the delay and attributed it to procedural backlogs. “The governing body meeting hasn’t taken place in five to six months. We will prioritise the proposal for school repair in the upcoming meeting,” he told The Statesman.

This grassroots action is not an isolated case. Across many tribal regions of Chhattisgarh, communities are stepping in to address systemic neglect, often at personal cost.

While the effort at Madpa demonstrates commendable resilience, it also highlights the administrative inertia that leaves marginalised citizens with little choice but to fend for themselves.

ENDS