DANTEWADA, Chhattisgarh: NMDC CSR support helps run Aastha Vidya Mandir, or Aastha Gurukul, a residential school in Jawanga’s Education City where about 1,300 students from Class I to XII study under a priority system for children affected by Left-wing extremism in Dantewada and Bastar.
The school provides stability in a district where conflict has disrupted families and communities for decades. It serves children who lost parents to violence, students from LWE-affected areas and children whose parents were linked to insurgency. More than half of its students are estimated to have experienced the impact of such violence directly or indirectly.
Admission under the special priority criteria depends on official documentation. The school considers police certification that confirms LWE activity in a student’s area and FIR records related to the death of a family member.
Aastha Gurukul aims to do more than house students and conduct classes. It creates a structured environment where children can learn, recover and plan for life beyond the circumstances into which they were born. Expert counselling sessions support students affected by violence, while IAS officers and other accomplished visitors interact with them through special lectures.
“Those who have been affected by violence receive counselling sessions from experts. IAS officers also provide special lectures and interact with the students to inspire them,” Panigrahi said.
The school follows the CBSE curriculum and uses smart-screen systems in classrooms. Its campus includes separate residential facilities for boys and girls and an auditorium with capacity for more than 1,000 students. These facilities offer a different learning environment for children from remote villages with limited educational access.
Aastha Gurukul opened in 2013 with NMDC support for infrastructure. NMDC CSR funding now supports continuing operations, with annual operational expenditure of around Rs 3.5 crore. The Chhattisgarh government administers the school within Education City.
The initiative has developed into a public-corporate education model for a conflict-affected region. In Dantewada, its significance lies not only in enrolment numbers but also in the opportunity it gives students to pursue futures shaped by education rather than violence.
