School for tribal children in U'khand closed for lack of funds

Over 50 children of the lone primitive tribe in Uttarakhand are being deprived of primary education as a residential school, opened for them by the state government with central assistance, has been closed for want of funds.
The children belong to the Ban Rawat community, also known as Ban Rajis, whose numbers are dwindling fast in the state.
The residential school, opened for them in Jauljibi village near the Indo-Nepal border of the district, has been closedfollowing withdrawal by the NGO that ran it citing non-sanction of funds on time.
"The children from poor Ban Raji families in Kilmkhola, Ganagaon, Chiphaltara and seven other villages near Jauljibi are without primary education this session as theschool does not have teachersandfood.

"No one is managing its affairs after the NGO assigned to the task left in March this year," said Lila Bangyal, asocial workerbased at Jauljibi.
Bangyal today came here with a delegation, including guardians of the tribal children, to draw the attention of the district magistrateto the issue.

"The demonstrators demanded that the school be run fully by the social welfare department of the state. The shy children of the tribefind it diificult to mix with children from other communities in other schools," said Bangyal.
According to Pithoragarh District Magistrate C Ravishankar, the administration has sent a proposal to the state government asking for funds for the salaries and other expenditure of the teachers and staff.

"We hope the funds will reach us soon," the DM said.
According todistrictsocial welfare officerP B Singh, the need for opening a separateresidential primary school forthe children of the tribe arose from their shy disposition which prevented them from mixing with other children and resulted in their withdrawal from schools.
The resedential school was opened in 2001 and was handed over to an NGO -- Seemant Janjati Vikas Sansthan-- run by former MLA Hira Singh Bora. After Boradied in 2013 his successors refused to run the school, complaining of non- availability of timely assistance from the Centre andthe state.
"We are not in a position to run theschool as we do not haveenough funds to run it," saidBhupesh Bora, son of the late MLA and director of the NGO.