2 hrs ago
Teacher Walks 5 km Daily for One Remote Student
Jivan Mithari is a 55-year-old teacher in Maharashtra.
Every day, he walks five kilometres through a forest to reach his school.
He has done this for 13 years.
The school currently has only one officially enrolled student, Swara Bodake.
Swara’s younger sister also attends because there is no childcare centre nearby.
The forest can contain gaurs and leopards, so the journey can be frightening.
The other school is much farther away for the children.
Mithari says he will continue teaching because even one child deserves an education.
Jivan Mithari, 55, has walked 5 kilometres daily for 13 years to teach at a remote school in Maharashtra.
The Zilla Parishad school at Kawaltek Dhangarwada is 2.5 kilometres from the nearest motorable road and has no electricity.
Only Class 3 student Swara Bodake is officially enrolled this year; her younger sister also attends informally.
Mithari’s route passes through forest where gaurs, leopards and other wildlife have been seen.
The nearest alternative school is about 5.5 kilometres away, making an 11-kilometre daily journey difficult for young children.
- Who
- Jivan Mithari, a 55-year-old teacher, teaches Swara Bodake and also accommodates her younger sister.
- What
- Mithari walks 5 kilometres each day to teach at a remote Zilla Parishad school with one officially enrolled student.
- Where
- The school is at Kawaltek Dhangarwada, a remote hamlet in Gaganbawada taluka of Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district.
- When
- He began working at the school on July 26, 2013, and is due to retire in May 2029.
- Why
- He says he must continue working even with few students, while the nearest alternative school would require young children to travel about 11 kilometres daily.
Key facts
- Teacher
- Jivan Mithari, age 55
- Daily journey
- 5 kilometres on foot through dense forest
- Service period
- Since July 26, 2013
- School location
- Kawaltek Dhangarwada, Gaganbawada taluka, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra
- Current enrolment
- One officially enrolled Class 3 student, Swara Bodake
- Main hazards
- Gaurs, leopards, rain and the absence of a motorable road
- Alternative school
- Dhundawade school, approximately 5.5 kilometres away each way
Quotes
Jivan Mithari
The 55-year-old teacher serving at the remote Kawaltek Dhangarwada school.
“I am also a human being. I do feel scared. But over time, it has become a habit.”
indianexpress.com
“Even if I have fewer children, I have to keep doing my work.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
Related news
Remote Teachers Cross Reservoir Daily to Reach Students
Bombay High Court Rebukes Maharashtra Over Students’ Wildlife Risk
Chhatarpur Schoolchildren Walk 40 Km Demanding Road, Bridge, Electricity
Uttarakhand Village Faces Lonely Raksha Bandhan After Road Collapse
Tribal Children Affected as Madhya Pradesh School Remains Shut
Madhya Pradesh Village Children Study In Hut After 25 Years
Maharashtra Waives Highway Tolls for Ganeshotsav 2026 Travellers
Modak, Ganeshotsav’s Signature Sweet, Dates Back 2,000 Years
Two Fortuners Face Cases Over Fake MLA Stickers
Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms Forecast Across Maharashtra; Mumbai Yellow Alert
