Vadodara: After spending nearly eight years studying in a makeshift bamboo shanty, children of a remote village in Chhota Udaipur district’s Naswadi taluka have finally moved into a container-based ‘smart‘ school.Since 2018, the school had been functioning from a temporary bamboo structure built on land voluntarily provided by a villager, as the govt was not able to allocate land for a permanent campus.On Monday, Rivaba Jadeja, the Gujarat minister of state for primary, secondary and adult education, inaugurated the container classroom, marking a long-awaited upgrade for the village’s young students.“The students had to study in a shanty for years. After we approached the authorities, they acted swiftly. The container classroom has now replaced the old structure. Land has also been allotted for a permanent school,“ said Jatan Bhil, a resident of Ambadungar village.Equipped with desks, chairs, electricity, fans and digital learning facilities, the container school offers an environment that is both safer and more conducive to learning.When the school opened in 2018, around 50 children were enrolled. However, the lack of basic infrastructure, including bamboo walls, cotton-sheet roofing and minimal amenities led to declining attendance. Today, only about 20 students attend classes regularly. The school has two sanctioned teaching posts, but only one has been filled, adding to the challenges faced by the institution.Villagers and education officials hope the improved facilities will encourage more children to return and boost enrolment in the coming academic sessions.
