Jajpur villagers rebuild school after 5-yr gap

Kendrapada: After a gap of five years, children of Tumani village in Jajpur's Sukinda block are attending classes again, thanks to a school rebuilt entirely by villagers after Cyclone Amphan destroyed the original structure in 2020.
The Juang community united to construct an asbestos-roofed school within 15 days, using funds and materials collected from each household. According to sources, about 40 villagers, including children and youth, contributed free labour to complete the project.
"We repeatedly requested authorities to rebuild the school, but nothing was done. Our children suffered due to negligence on the part of the authorities," said Kaila Pradhan, a villager. The new school now serves 34 children who had been unable to attend classes, as the nearest school is five kilometres away in Deogaon.
Narayan Das, Sukinda's block education officer, said, "The govt has no school in this village." He added that a private foundation runs the school.