Kamakhyanagar: As part of action initiated against Sri Laxminarayan Ashram School, functioning illegally at Iringajharan of Gadapalasuni panchayat under Kankadahad block in Dhenkanal district, after the death of a Class-III student, district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and district education department rescued 62 students, including 17 girls, from the ashram school, Thursday.
The children were rescued under the guidance of Sub Collector Bishnuprasad Acharya and in the presence of officials of block education department, block administration, district child welfare department, child help line and police department.
The rescued students, studying in Class-I to Class-VII, were taken to the child home of Maharshi Dayanand Service Mission at Govindpur in a special bus. Later, they would be rehabilitated at different government hostels, informed block education officer Harihar Dehury.
“At the time when the students were leaving their school, they became emotional and were seen weeping. They have been counseled,” added Dehury.
The administration’s first responsibility will be to arrange for their education, take care of their health and keep them in a good surrounding. They will soon be enrolled at ashram schools, run by the government.
It is worth mentioning that a Class III student, Sambhunath Nayak of Keonjhar district, was found dead in the school hostel July 2.
PNN