The Belagavi Sugarcane Growers’ Association has appealed to the state government to set up temporary tent schools for the children of sugarcane cutters who migrate from Maharashtra to Karnataka for seasonal work. This initiative aims to prevent children from losing out on their education and provide them with the opportunity to complete their syllabus during their stay in the state,reporetd Hindustan Times.
An official familiar with the matter stated that around 100 families with young children from different districts in Maharashtra migrate to Karnataka throughout the year to earn a living through sugarcane cutting.
Siddagouda Modagi, serving as the convenor of the Belagavi district sugarcane growers’ association, commented on the matter, stating, “On an annual basis, approximately 100 families hailing from Latur, Bid, Usmanabad, and Solhapur districts in Maharashtra arrive in this region alongside their children to participate in sugarcane cutting, subsequently returning to their places of origin upon task completion.” He went on to explain that this cutting process spans a duration of 4 to 5 months, during which the children’s education is inevitably compromised. The association has asserted that no child should be denied their fundamental right to education, thus prompting the Belagavi district administration and the local sugar mills to take cognizance of the situation. Furthermore, they have recommended that Marathi school educators under the purview of the Karnataka government continue delivering the syllabus to these children during the four-month interval.
One of the sugarcane cutters from Bid district in Maharashtra, expressed, “For many years, we have been coming to Belagavi to engage in sugarcane cutting. We remain here for four months until the harvest is completed. During this period, our children are unable to attend school.”
Another laborer from Latur, who resides in Belagavi with his son, attending class 1 at a government school in Latur, added, “We hope that the Karnataka government initiates temporary Marathi tent schools to enable our children to continue their education.”
As per news report published in Hindustan Times, Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil assured that the issue would be raised with the sugar mills and deliberated upon in the upcoming meeting with them.
“The district administration will soon take up the matter with the government, and children will be taught their syllabus by our teachers,” Patil said.
