Labour of love: 3 teachers travel 90km to teach students

POINGUINIM: For the past several months, three teachers from Canacona have journeyed nearly 90km three times a week to ensure uninterrupted education for at least 30 of their students living in the more remote reaches of the Sanguem taluka.
Sanjay Gaonkar, Madhukar Velip and Damodar Velip teach at the Balram residential high school in Poinguinim, Canacona, which has boarders from as far away as Netravali, Verlem, Tudav and Saljini, among others. Most of these areas are deprived of most forms of development.
Fourteen of the school’s students are from Verlem, six from Tudav, three from Saljini, six from Patta and three from Mangal. While the Netravali village panchayat is almost 30km from the school, the villages of Verlem, Saljini and Tudav are another 18km away in the interiors of Netravali.
When the lockdown was imposed, the school’s enterprising teachers, fully aware how cut off their students will be without any internet connectivity, took it upon themselves to take the school to their students. After the new academic year commenced, they simply continued what they had started in March.
Gaonkar, Madhukar and Damodar instruct the children in science and maths and classes are conducted with all seriousness like they would have been in school with notes, worksheets, problem-solving and assignments.
The three are not the only teachers of the school to have taken up the responsibility with such zeal. Many others have and continue to travel to these villages every now and then to conduct classes.
“We appreciate the efforts and enthusiasm of these teachers who whether rain or shine, pandemic or not, and poor road conditions notwithstanding, have come to our village to teach our children,” Netravali sarpanch Archana Gaonkar, said.
Deputy sarpanch Abhijit Desai also praised the teachers for their selfless work. “The parents and children are ever thankful to the teachers,” he said.