Balasore,June 4: At a time when many parents in their area were not serious about education, this tribal couple decided to dedicate their lives to educating small children. Instead of chasing government jobs, they dreamed of providing free education to tribal children. To turn this dream into reality, they had to struggle tirelessly. Eventually, they succeeded. Today, because of their efforts, tribal children in the local area are becoming increasingly interested in education.
This inspiring couple, who have become a guiding light of education for tribal children, are Kandan Hansda (34) and Raimani Hansda (30) from Shrikona village under Sadar Block.
Kandan is a graduate in Arts, while Raimani has completed ITI training. For the last 14 years, this educated couple has been providing free primary education to children from their village and nearby areas through a local educational institution.
Speaking about their journey, Kandan said that due to a lack of awareness, tribal parents in their village and surrounding areas showed little interest in educating their children. As a result, many children went astray from an early age. Before even beginning a proper life, they became addicted to intoxicants and got involved in various criminal activities.
Kandan said that he himself witnessed such situations during his childhood. Escaping that environment was extremely difficult for him. However, with the support of his parents, he continued his studies and became educated. Later, he resolved to educate other children in his area as well.
While Kandan dreamed of educating children in his locality, he initially received no support from anyone. He contacted many people seeking help. Upon learning about his efforts, members of the Rotary Club of Balasore got in touch with him. Later, they adopted the village as a model village and decided to establish a school to educate the children there.
As a result, in 2012, an educational institution named “Shibu Kahnu Shishu Vidyamandir” was established in the name of tribal freedom fighter Shibu Kahnu. Kandan and his wife Raimani were appointed as teachers there. For their service, they received only ₹3,500 as remuneration, which was negligible compared to their hard work. Yet, both of them remained committed to their mission of educating local children.
Because of this couple’s dedication, a place where children once stayed away from education has now become a community where most children go to school. Over the past 14 years, they have educated more than 300 children from nearby areas and helped integrate them into mainstream society.
Many of these children are now studying in various institutions and have become educated individuals. Kandan and Raimani provide primary education to the children and later help enroll them in different schools. Many students who studied here have successfully cleared various entrance examinations and are now studying in reputed institutions such as EMRS (Eklavya Model Residential Schools) and other good government educational institutions. Some have even secured good jobs.
Senior Rotarian Subrata Kar credited the couple for the increase in literacy in the area. He said that earlier, most tribal families in the region struggled with alcoholism and did not pay attention to their children’s future. Realizing this, they decided to work toward educating tribal children and established the school.
He added that although the couple was paid only a small salary, it was nowhere near equal to their dedication and hard work. Still, the commitment shown by Kandan and Raimani toward educating local children deserves immense appreciation.
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