Madhya Pradesh: Tribal Students Cross 100-Foot Wide Koteshwari River Daily For School; Unchanged For 45 Years

Sardarpur (Madhya Pradesh): As monsoon clouds gather and schools reopen, children of Kachanaria village and its neighbouring tribal hamlets return to a different reality one where books and blackboards lie across a river.

For the last 45 years, students here have braved Koteshwari river to reach school, risking lives every single day in the pursuit of education.

A 100-foot wide river, a daily gamble

Kachanaria, about 46 kilometres from Sardarpur tehsil, is the educational lifeline for six tribal hamlets: Gulripada, Rajghata, Rasanya, Devgarh, Imlipada, and Vatyapara.

But to access the classrooms, students from these villages—especially those in classes VI to VIII—must trek 4 to 8 kilometres through rugged hills and cross a 100-feet-wide river.

Monsoon only makes things worse. Slippery rocks, swelling water, and no safety support. What used to be a group of 60 students trudging together through these harsh conditions has now shrunk to just 10–15 brave souls. Fearful for their children’s safety, parents in Devgarh, Imlipada, and Vatyapara have stopped sending them altogether. Even emotional appeals from teachers haven’t swayed them.

Too many students, too few rooms

Education here isn't just hindered by geography. Inside the school, the struggle continues. Around 140 students from pre-primary to primary are packed into just three classrooms. Another 115 students of classes VI to VIII crowd into three more rooms with only five teachers to manage them.

The academic session resumed on June 16, but specialist subject teachers still haven’t been appointed. Overcrowding, combined with under-staffing, makes meaningful learning a daily challenge.

Four rooms, 265 students, and two unsafe ones

Of the school’s six classrooms, only four are safe for teaching. The other two were declared unsafe by the SDM years ago. Yet, the building still stands, and so does the silence of those in power.

Panji Damar, the gram panchayat sarpanch, sounds exasperated, “I’ve submitted hundreds of memorandums to officials, MLAs, MPs—everyone. But nothing changes. Only faces change, not the situation.”

The bridge that wasn’t built

In 1994–95, former Industry Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Datti laid the foundation stone (bhoomi pujan) for a bridge over the Koteshwari. The ceremony was grand and so was the promise. But nearly 30 years on, the river still flows, and the bridge remains only a memory.

The boat that never came

In August 2023, Leader of Opposition Umang Sighar promised a boat to ferry children safely. That too never arrived. As of today, students are still crossing the river barefoot or clinging to each other for balance and support.

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