The Chief Minister's Office of Chhattisgarh announced on Saturday, 27 June 2026 that the School Keinta Abhiyan, launched under the Vishnu Deo Sai government, is bringing renewed educational access to Abujhmad — one of India's most remote tribal belts — by re-enrolling out-of-school children and running summer camps that blend technology with local culture.

Context

The CMO's post states that the campaign is bringing 'shiksha ki nayi roshni' (a new light of education) to Abujhmad. Children who had dropped out of school are being reconnected with formal education, while summer camps offer them hands-on exposure to drones, rocket science, painting, sculpture, writing and local sports.

Abujhmad straddles Narayanpur and Bijapur districts in southern Chhattisgarh. It is home to Gond and other indigenous communities and has historically suffered from limited infrastructure and the impact of left-wing extremism, making routine school access a persistent challenge for tribal children.

Policy Backdrop

The Right to Education Act, 2009 placed a legal obligation on states to ensure free and compulsory elementary education and to bring out-of-school children back into the system. Chhattisgarh, like other states with large tribal populations, has channelled central support through Samagra Shiksha — the umbrella scheme that evolved from Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan — to improve enrolment and infrastructure in hard-to-reach districts.

Successive Chhattisgarh governments have run re-enrolment drives in Maoist-affected and tribal areas, but the introduction of STEM modules such as drone operation and rocket science alongside cultural activities marks a shift in approach. The strategy reflects a broader national pattern of using innovation and locally adapted content to improve retention among indigenous students in aspirational districts.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are tribal children in Abujhmad who had fallen out of the formal schooling system. By pairing re-enrolment with engaging summer camp activities, the Abhiyan aims to reduce the stigma and disengagement that often accompany dropout and make return to school more attractive.

Local communities, teachers, and district administration in Narayanpur and Bijapur are the key implementation partners. Exposure to technology such as drones and rocket science is designed to widen aspirations for children who have had limited access to such resources, while activities like painting, sculpture and indigenous games anchor the programme in familiar cultural contexts.

What's Next

The effectiveness of School Keinta Abhiyan will ultimately be measured by retention data after the summer camps conclude — whether children who re-enrolled remain in school when the new academic year begins. Officials and education observers will watch for any formal announcement on extending the Abhiyan to additional blocks or districts beyond the current Abujhmad focus area.

If retention figures prove strong, the model — combining re-enrolment drives with STEM and cultural exposure — could provide a template for other tribal and left-wing extremism-affected districts across Chhattisgarh and potentially other states facing similar challenges.