National
Lack of bridge increasing school dropout rate
Lack of safer means to cross Jogbudha River in Kanchanpur has led to a spike in school dropout rate in Dodhara Chandani Municipality in the district.Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Lack of safer means to cross Jogbudha River in Kanchanpur has led to a spike in school dropout rate in Dodhara Chandani Municipality in the district.
There is no bridge over the river and the only means to cross the rivers is a boat. Crossing the river on the boat is not only risky but also costly. Schoolchildren of Kanjabhoj, Kutiyakbhar and Shantinagar areas of the municipality have to pay Rs 5 every time they take the boat to cross the river. As a result, many children are opting to stay at home, says Tek Bahadur Sunar, a local.
The school dropouts then eventually set out for India to earn a living and work as daily wage earners.
Crossing the river on boat becomes even riskier during the rainy season, hence the boat service is closed when water levels rise. This also means no school for children.
Lack of a bridge over the river has become a major barrier for children of these villages to even complete primary education.
There is not even a single person who has completed higher education in these villages, says Sunar.
Those who can afford to send their children to schools in India are pursuing higher education in the neighbouring country, but parents like us who come from low economic background can do nothing, says Jitusingh Khatri, another local.
Around 100 households of these villages are in trouble due to the absence of a bridge over the river.
When contacted, Chandani Dodhara Municipality Executive Officer Mahesh Bahadur Bam said his office was making efforts to get an approval from the line ministry for construction of a bridge over the river.