Adi Shakti Summer School lends a hand to tribal children

Project aimed at supporting higher education of students

Akhita, 21, who hails from a Paniya tribal hamlet at Mundari, Wayanad, had always dreamt of becoming an archaeologist. However, she lacked information about how to find a suitable programme or navigate the application process. She contacted the Adi Shakthi Summer School, and did not let information asymmetry and digital divide clip her dreams. Akhita currently pursues M.A. Archaeology at the Kariavattom campus of the Kerala University. The Adi Shakti Summer School, a collective of Adivasi and Dalit youths under the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS), is aimed at supporting the higher education of Adivasi-Dalit students, especially school drop-outs, and it could provide admission guidance to nearly 2,500 students since its inception in 2014, says M. Geethanandan, State coordinator of the collective. These students belong to marginalised communities such as Paniya, Adiya, Kattunaika, Kurumba, Kadar, Muthuvan, and Vedar sects in various parts of the State, Mr. Geethanandan said.