50-year-old village head attends school in Madhya Pradesh

HARDA - An illiterate 50-year-old village head from Madhya Pradesh’s Harda district has set an example for all, by attending a school at the village.

One month after being elected as the head of Pantalai village, Dhapu Bai realised the need to study so that she does not make any mistakes in her decisions.

She even did not know how to sign, so she decided to join a local girl’s school and started studying with the village girls.

Dhapu Bai, who has never been to school during her childhood days, has started learning the alphabets quite fast.

“It’s been eight days since I have been coming to school…. I have learnt to sign…. I have learnt both Hindi and English alphabets…I reach school at 10 and leave at 4 in the evening. I do my household chores when I reach home….I have never been to school earlier, and now I want to study for my work,” Dhapu Bai said.

The 50-year-old is being encouraged by both her family and the villagers to study.

Her fellow classmates, who help her with her studies, feel that Dhapu Bai is grasping things quite fast.

“I think she will learn fast… I haven’t seen such an aged woman coming to school before. She wants to study so that she doesn’t make any blunder in her work,” said Sangita Logre, a fellow classmate.

From being an illiterate tribal woman, her election to the post of a village head prompted Dhapu Bai to study. She is an example for all those who feel that age can be a barrier in attaining ducation. (ANI)