Yashodhar Bangera

Daijiworld Media Network - Moodbidri (MS)

Moodbidri, Aug 21: Teachers of Panapila have taken teaching profession to greater heights by treading on treacherous forest route and climbing a hill to teach a student. Three female teachers of zilla panchayat higher primary school at Panapila in the taluk are treading 10 km daily for the past three months, in order to teach lessons to a student who lives on the hills.

Three Malekudiya families are living on the Ontekaje hills of Panapila village for many years. They are into agricultural work for their livelihood. These families lack basic infrastructure like electricity but are keen to educate their children. Out of the three families living on the hills, two families have children who go to school and colleges.

One girl student, who studied in Panapila higher primary school is doing her pre-university studies in Jain pre-university college in the city. She has to walk every day for 10 km from the hills to Aliyoor and then go to college by bus for another 10 km. Other two students go to Aliyoor and Renjala high schools. A boy, Ravi, goes to Panapila school and has cleared the seventh standard this year.

As per the guidelines of the education department, to teach lessons to students at their home where it is unavoidable, due to the coronavirus pandemic, three teachers of Panapila school are walking 10 km once in a week since last June. They teach Ravi who resides on Ontekaje hill.

Headteacher of the school Sujata Jain, along with co-teachers Rashmi Bhata and Navya are the trio who tread the treacherous path once in a week to teach Ravi the lessons. In addition, they are guiding other children also. As there is no proper way to reach the hill, these teachers have to walk through bushes that have thorns and also cross small streams of water. As it is not possible for only teachers to walk this terrain, locals Sunil Panapila, Harish, Dinesh, Vishwanath and cook of school Vanitha are also accompanying them.

Headteacher Sujata Jain says, "Children of families living on Ontekaje hills are studying in our school. During the normal schooling time, their parents used to drop them in the morning to school and used to take them back to the hills in the evening. However, now due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are going to their house on the hill to prevent the children from not getting lessons in time. Last year the strength of students in our school was 45. It has reached 55 now.”