Two tribal settlements, Vilankombai and Kembanur, located inside the buffer zone of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in T.N. Palayam Range will have a school for the first time -- a Government Tribal Residential School (GRTS) or a school run by the Forest Department at Vilankombai.
There are 38 families in Vilankombai and 18 in Kembanur, both located behind the Gunderipallam Reservoir coming under Kongarpalayam Panchayat in T.N. Palayam Panchayat Union.
A special training centre under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), with 26 children from classes 1 to 8, is being run at Vilankombai for seven years. To study further, they have to trek 10 km through dense forest to reach Kongarpalayam. But, they drop out owing to the presence of a large number of wild animals on this non-motorable route.
School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan recently announced that a school would come up at Vilankombai. It would initially be primary school. The Forest Department had demarcated for the school project 50 cents of forest land at the entrance of the settlement for the school.
A resolution needs to be passed in the Gram Sabha meeting for starting the school, which is getting delayed, said a senior official with the School Education Department. He said a request had been placed before the district administration for passing a special resolution so that the works could begin.
An official with the District Adi Dravida and Tribal Welfare Department said 26 children from Vilankombai and 24 from Kembanur would be admitted to the school. Since children from Kembanur could not travel six km through the forest every day, accommodation would be provided to them. Once the resolution was passed by the Kongarpalayam Panchayat, works would begin, the official said.