Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MSP)

Mangalore, Jun 5: Under constant pressure to ensure that the Madhya zilla panchayat school near Suratkal that is facing dearth of students, is earmarked only for the students belonging to Koraga community, the Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat (ZP) on Wednesday June 4 decided to earmark the school for the exclusive use of Koraga students, commencing from this academic year.

The decision was arrived at after members of the Koraga community met the ZP chief executive officer A M Kunjappa and Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITBP) officer Satyanarayana in a meeting convened in the city on Wednesday and discussed the issue threadbare.

Led by social workers Sheena Shetty and Krishna Moolya, Koraga community leaders have for some time now pleading for restricting admission to the school only for the children belonging to Koraga community. They had been pointing out that the school was opened only for the benefit of Koraga children and not for others. They are firmly against the prevalent practice of admitting students from other communities including other castes and tribes that are categorised as backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes.

Strong words were exchanged between the community members and the ITDP officer when the latter refused to pay heed to their demand. The officer based his argument on the basis that the students belonging to other communities cannot be shifted out all of a sudden. The community, represented by Bantwal Taluk Adivasi Koraga Abhivruddhi Sangha, Sundari alleged that the present ITDP officer never visited their colonies nor held the scheduled quarterly meetings since taking over charge over a year ago.

ZP CEO Kunjappa at last came to the decision of shifting children from other castes and tribes studying in the school, to other nearby schools and mark the school for the exclusive use of Koragas. He, however, said that the scheduled caste students will continue to study at the school for the present, while efforts would be made to accomodate them in suitable schools.

Out of the 117 students studying in the school at present, about 85 are from Koraga community. The community members agreed to admit more children from their families, to Madhya school. Kunjappa also said that a Koraga community member named Ravindra, the lone Koraga to have completed B Ed course, would be posted as Kannada teacher at the school.