In a powerful story of resilience and transformation emerging from Chhattisgarh’s conflict-affected Bastar region, IAS officer Namrata Jain is leading a major educational revival in Abujhmaad through the “School Keinta” (“School is Calling”) initiative.
Jain, who grew up in Dantewada witnessing the fear and disruption caused by Naxal violence, had her own education interrupted after Class 10 before her mother encouraged her to continue studying in Bhilai.
After initially failing the UPSC examination, she persevered to secure AIR 99 in 2016 and AIR 12 in 2018, moving from IPS to IAS through determination and persistence.
Today, as Collector of Narayanpur district, she is overseeing efforts to reconnect remote tribal communities with formal education by tracing out-of-school children, reopening shut schools and rebuilding trust in areas once heavily affected by Maoist insurgency.
Under the initiative, officials surveyed 22,364 households and identified 2,965 out-of-school children, leading to the reopening of 10 closed schools, the establishment of 24 new primary schools and the revival of 49 Anganwadi centres.
Recent developments in villages such as Kodenar and Rekavaya reflect how classrooms and governance are slowly replacing fear and isolation in one of India’s most inaccessible regions.
From Conflict To Change
Namrata Jain’s journey carries a deeply personal connection to the region she now serves. Raised in Dantewada, one of the districts long impacted by Left Wing Extremism, she reportedly witnessed how violence disrupted ordinary life and created an atmosphere of fear across villages.
According to several reports, one such memory involved the destruction of a local police station during a Naxal attack, an incident that left a lasting impression on her childhood. Her own educational journey also faced interruptions when she had to pause her studies after Class 10 because of difficult circumstances.
However, her mother played a crucial role in ensuring her education did not end there, quietly arranging for her to continue studying in Bhilai. Jain later pursued civil services with determination, despite setbacks.
After failing the UPSC examination once, she continued preparing and eventually secured AIR 99 in 2016, joining the Indian Police Service. Unsatisfied and aiming higher, she appeared again and achieved AIR 12 in 2018, earning a place in the Indian Administrative Service.
Today, many in Bastar see her journey as symbolic of perseverance and hope emerging from adversity itself. Speaking about educational outreach in Abujhmaad, Jain has emphasised that development cannot succeed unless every child is reached and included in the system.
School Keinta Revives Education
Under Namrata Jain’s leadership, Narayanpur district administration launched the “School Keinta” campaign to reconnect children in Abujhmaad with formal education.
Abujhmaad, spread across dense forests and hilly terrain, has historically remained one of India’s least accessible and least developed regions because of geographical isolation, poor infrastructure and decades of insurgency.
In many villages, schools had either shut down or never functioned regularly because of security concerns and lack of connectivity. Through extensive door-to-door surveys across 22,364 homes, officials and volunteers identified nearly 3,000 children who were either never enrolled or had dropped out of school.
The administration subsequently reopened 10 previously closed schools and started 24 new primary schools in villages where educational facilities were absent. Authorities also revived 49 Anganwadi centres to strengthen early childhood education and nutrition.
More than 800 children have already returned to classrooms, while several hundred have entered formal schooling for the first time. Local youth volunteers, referred to as “shikshadoots”, were engaged to communicate with tribal families, address concerns and motivate parents to send children to school regularly.
Officials say this community-led approach helped build trust in areas where state institutions had historically struggled to maintain a presence.
Historic Education Milestones
The impact of the initiative has become especially visible in villages such as Kodenar and Rekavaya, where schools are now functioning in settlements that had remained disconnected from mainstream education for decades. In March this year, Kodenar village reportedly witnessed the opening of its first regular government school since Independence.
Before this, children from the village had to walk nearly 6–7 kilometres through forests and uneven terrain to attend classes in neighbouring areas, leading many to eventually drop out. During the inauguration ceremony, children and villagers together sang the National Anthem in a school setting for the first time in the village’s history a moment widely shared across local media as a symbol of social transformation.
District Education Officer Ashok Kumar Patel confirmed that regular classes had begun under the supervision of a guest teacher and that children were being provided with uniforms, books and educational material.
Meanwhile, in March 2026, Namrata Jain also became the first Narayanpur Collector to visit Rekavaya village in the dense forests of Abujhmaad, once considered a Maoist stronghold.
Residents welcomed her with Mahua flower garlands and traditional Gondi songs as she inaugurated a new Ashram school building and interacted with students and families.
Villagers reportedly requested roads, mobile towers, healthcare facilities and opportunities to visit Raipur and the Assembly building aspirations observers say reflect a growing trust in democratic institutions and development processes.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The story of Namrata Jain and the “School Keinta” initiative demonstrates how meaningful change often begins not with grand announcements, but with sustained human connection and access to opportunity. In regions where violence and fear once interrupted childhoods, reopening classrooms becomes far more than an administrative exercise it becomes an act of healing, dignity and long-term peacebuilding.
Education has the ability to restore confidence, encourage participation and help communities imagine futures beyond conflict. Jain’s own life journey, from a young girl whose education was disrupted in a conflict zone to an IAS officer rebuilding educational systems in the same region, reflects the transformative power of persistence, empathy and public service.
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