KGBV girl student’s death puts govt-run schools in Jharkhand under scanner

Gumla: The death of a 15-year-old student of a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Gumla in September, and subsequent allegations of negligence by school authorities, has prompted authorities to conduct health checks of all students of such schools in the district who “appeared” ill. The test results showed that 50 per cent of those tested were at least “mildly” anaemic, it is learnt.

The family of Karishma Kumari (15), who as per records died due to “liver complications”, has accused the Gumla KGBV authorities of neglecting her condition. Another class 9 KGBV student, this time in Garhwa district, died last week after falling ill. District authorities accused the school of negligence and said they did not take her to hospital immediately after she became ill. It was not yet clear what the cause of death was.

Jharkhand has more than 200 KGBVs, which are residential schools for girls run by the central government, and around the same number of residential schools run by the state welfare department.

After Karishma’s death, the Gumla district authority tested the haemoglobin levels of 1,053 students who “appeared” to be ill. While 504 were found to be “normal”, 398 were “mildly anaemic” (haemoglobin levels below 11 gram per decilitre), 149 were found to be “moderately anaemic: (haemoglobin levels between 9gm/dl and 7gm/dl), and two were “severely anaemic” (haemoglobin levels less than 7gm/dl).

The test reports are in line with the National Family Health Survey-5 data, which states that 65.3 percent of women in Jharkhand in the 15-49 age group are anaemic. Gumla Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi said the decision to conduct the haemoglobin tests were triggered by Karishma’s death. The school warden, has since been transferred.