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Right Education

Issue 1, 2011

Issue 1, 2011 Drishtikone 1

EDITORIAL

A familiar scene on the roads of Delhi whenever the traffic signals turn red is the sight of small childrenhaving to beg from people in the cars, auto rickshaws or other vehicles. Under the Moolchand flyover1, as thetraffic light turns red, Pinky and Rajesh2 run to beg people in the vehicles saving the few seconds before thesignals turn green. Sometimes they perform a few quick gymnastic moves just for the short one minute redlight stop and then ask people for some coins. Instead of busying with their school home work, their lifeeveryday is on the street begging so that they may have a meagre meal, which may not even be sufficient thatmost of us take for granted. For many of these children life is all about living a single day as it comes,whether they would get enough food for the day or what they will eat the next day. So instead of sending themto school, their parents find it “economically feasible” to send their children out on the streets to beg. Otherswho have a home, help in domestic work while others earn some money by doing the odd jobs which theirparents do or even work in small chai dhabas3.

While we make sure that our children go to the best public schools (not even Government schools), many ofthe children in India do not have the privilege to even go to a Government school. For Pinky and Rajesh, mostof their childhood has been spent on the streets, because their condition is such that they have to beg forthemselves or else they may die of hunger. Such is the pathetic condition of some of our children whose livesare utterly dependent on begging rather than schooling while we talk highly of India’s booming economy orthe launch of the latest supersonic missiles, or even the Right to Education Act. Will the Right to EducationAct make any difference to the lives of these poor children? What has been the Christian response in thissituation where poverty strikes hardand deprives its many children oftheir basic right to education? Themandate for our mission is very clearand we cannot afford to be laid backtowards eradicating illiteracy andpoverty. We hope that this issuewould raise our awareness about theimportance of education and that eachof us have a mandate to address theneed of the hour which is to givequality education to our children inIndia.

1 Moolchand Flyover is located in South Delhi.2 Names are changed.3 Tea Shop

CONTENTS

Right to Education Act: Moving Beyond Rhetoric and Intent.......................... 3

A Christian Perspective on Education, Its History and Practice...................... 7

Education for Tribal Communities in India.....................................................11

Facts and Figures..................................................................................... 14&15

Looking Forward to School Each Day..............................................................17

Quality Education for Dalits - A Tool to wipe off the Great Divide................ 18

Role of Skill-based or Vocational Training on Education: Case Study ofDeepalaya Vocational Training Schools............................................................21

Mala’s Story......................................................................................................23

BOOK REVIEW - Greg Mortenson, Stones into Schools................................24

Interview with Dr. V.K. Williams, Principal, Mount Carmel School,Anand Niketan, New Delhi...............................................................................26

Bible Study - On Rights and Education...........................................................27

Ideas for Action

Issue 1, 2011 Drishtikone2

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus Christ whohas called and chose us to bring transformation in thelives of different communities! Thanks a lot forsending me Drishtikone Issue 1, 2010. This is the firsttime I have received your magazine. It is full ofinformation and strategy on how to bringtransformation for the Children @ Risk. Ourorganization is called ‘Life For All’ and we have beenworking for children for the last seven years in thestate of Uttarakhand. We would like to receiveDrishtikone in the days to come so that we can worktogether for transformation of our nation.

Thanking you.

Yours in His service,

Pastor Harihar Pothalc/o Life For All SocietyAt/P.O Sahspur (Near Check post)Dehradun-248197Uttrakhand, North India

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed the issue 1, 2010 on Children @ Risk verymuch. It gave not only the information on the situationand the causes of the issue concerning the Children @risk but also highlighted the success stories with apointer to the future course of action in this regard.The issues raised and the data provided therein will bevery useful not only to activists but also to teachers inthe formal education centres and others.

Drishtikone should publish more on similar issues notonly for information but also for formation of readers.

Thanking you.

Gabriel Gonsalves144, Munirka ViharNew Delhi – 110 067

Dear Editor,

I am in receipt of your recent issue of Drishtikone on the theme Children @ Risk. All the articles are informativeand of high value providing the present status of children who are neglected and exploited. I am impressed with thebiblical insight that is stimulating and calling for immediate response from the Church at large. I do agree that wecannot wait any longer seeing our children being denied of their protection, provision and potential to grow. Iwould request for such reflections to go on to challenge the Church that is comfortable and passive to movetowards its prophetic role.

May the Lord continue to bless the ministry of EFICOR!

Thomas Swaroop202 Ferns Nest ApartmentsOpp. Hennur Police StationHennur Main RoadKalyan Nagar PostBangalore - 560 043


Cover Story

Right to Education Act: Moving Beyond

Rhetoric and IntentShreya Aggarwal

Parth J. Shah

Education is widely touted as oneof the most effective tools forempowerment and development of anation. However, what most peopleforget is that education does notautomatically imply good qualityeducation. This article brings tolight the chasm between quality ofeducation provision today versusthe quality of provision which canset the stage for India to meet itsaspirations as a super power.

This issue has become even moreprominent given the proactivestance adopted by the governmentwhich recently passed the Right ofChildren to Free and CompulsoryEducation Act 2009 (RTE Act).What remains to be seen is whetherthis Act will be relegated to thedusty shelves as just anothergovernment policy document orgiven its due importance. In thisarticle we provide a historicalnarrative and background toeducation in India followed by anoverview of the key features of theRTE Act, a description of itsserious flaws, and suggestions onways to address them.

In order to understand the RTE Act,its challenges and potential, it isessential to first be acquainted withthe beginning and the journeyundertaken thereafter with respectto education policy frameworks,budget allocation andimplementation.

Background and historicalnarrative

After independence, Article 45under the newly framedConstitution stated that, ‘The stateshall endeavour to provide, withina period of ten years from thecommencement of thisConstitution, for free andcompulsory education for allchildren until they complete theage of fourteen years’.

Following from this directiveprinciple, the government set upcomprehensive education deliverysystems and introduced educationpolicies and schemes such as theNational Policy on Education(1986), District Primary EducationProgram (1994) and Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan (2001). The educationprovision structures with 3 nationalboards, 34 state and union territoryboards with their own curriculumand certifying examinations werealso set up. Free and compulsoryelementary education was made a

fundamental right under Article 21of the Constitution in December2002, by the 86th Amendment. Intranslating this into action, the‘Right of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Bill’ wasdrafted in 2005. This was thenrevised and became an Act inAugust 2009 and came into effecton 1 April 2010.

Despite all these initiatives, evenafter 60 years, universal elementaryeducation remains a distant dream.The government, which provideselementary education to a majorityof children, has in many respectsfailed to achieve its mandate.Despite high enrolment rates ofapproximately 95% as per theAnnual Status of Education Report(ASER 2009), 52.8% of childrenstudying in 5th grade lack thereading skills expected at 2ndgrade. Given the low quality ofeducation provision and the burdenof direct and indirect costs, dropoutrates are as high as 51% inelementary classes which increasesto 62% at secondary level.Whatever the reason for the failureof Universal Elementary Education,the parents in India are tired ofgovernment schools and areincreasingly choosing privateschools instead. We now have atwo-tier system of government andprivate schools with all theattendant social, political andeconomic problems.

Photo: Karsten Van Riezen


Advent of private provision

The ASER 2009 report shows thatclose to 22% of children in ruralIndia attend private schools. Thisnumber is much higher in urbanareas with states like Punjab andHaryana at the forefront, wheretwo out of every three childrenattend private school.

Besides those children who studyin mid-tier and elite schools, alarge number of students alsostudy in budget private schools inpoor neighbourhoods. The budgetprivate schools are the fastestgrowing segment in India’seducation system. These schools

charge an average fee of Rs.70/-per month in rural areas, and uptoRs.350/- per month in urbanmetros. A high proportion of theseprivate schools also includemissionary schools which run on anon-profit basis. There are threereasons for the growing popularityof private schools in India. One,private schools mostly providebetter education; two, they aremore cost effective; and three, theyare more accountable andresponsive to parents, for example,they offer English mediumschooling that parents prefer.

Despite the fact that budget privateschools provide relatively betterquality education at a muchcheaper cost the governmentcurtails the entry of these privateservice providers throughexcessive regulatory systems and

instituting requirements of up to 30licenses to start a school.

Faced with inefficiency andineffectiveness of governmentschools coupled with the rise ofprivate schools, the governmentdecided to introduce what they hopewould be the antidote to all itsproblems: Right of Children to Freeand Compulsory Education Act2009.

Overview of the Act

‘Education is the key to progress. Itempowers the individual. It enablesa nation…if we nurture ourchildren and young people with theright education, India’s future as astrong and prosperous country issecured’.

(Address by Shri Manmohan Singhon the day of RTE Act enactment)

The RTE Act is a detailed andcomprehensive piece of legislationwhich includes provisions related toschools, teachers, curriculum,evaluation, access and specificdivision of duties andresponsibilities of differentstakeholders. On the basis of thisAct, the government has framedsubordinate legislation called modelrules as guidelines to states for theimplementation of the Act.

Key features of the Act include:· Every child from 6 to 14

years of age has a right tofree and compulsoryeducation in aneighbourhood school tillcompletion of elementaryeducation.

· Unaided private schoolsmust take in a quarter oftheir class strength from‘weaker sections anddisadvantaged groups’,

sponsored by thegovernment.

· All schools except privateunaided schools are to bemanaged by SchoolManagement Committeeswith 75 per cent parentsand guardians asmembers.

· All schools exceptgovernment schools arerequired to be recognizedby meeting specified normsand standards within 3years to avoid closure.

The following analysis suggests thateven though the RTE Act containsboth good and bad policyrecommendations, on the whole, asit stands in its current form, it willfall short of achieving its loftyintentions.

Right to Education:A critique

An enforceable legislation like theRight To Education Act is nearlyunprecedented in a way that itmakes the government accountableto parents and children if it fails toensure the right of children toeducation. This Act, designed as anoverarching framework provides abasic uniform policy for educationdelivery and access while alsoallowing some freedom to localauthorities and communities to takeinto consideration their contextualneeds stemming from the diversityof India with 28 states, 600districts, 22 official languages and adeep rural and urban divide.

The RTE Act has been widelycriticized by a diverse array ofvoices. The most importantdifficulties are:

Inputs and Outcomes:The Act is deemed excessivelyinput-focussed rather thanoutcomes-oriented. Even though

An enforceable legislation like theRight To Education Act is nearlyunprecedented in a way that it makesthe government accountable toparents and children if it fails toensure the right of children toeducation.


better school facilities, books,uniforms and better qualifiedteachers are important, theirsignificance in the Act has beenoverestimated in the light ofinefficient, corrupt andunaccountable institutions ofeducation provision.

School Recognition:

Section 19 of the Act requires all(like the private unrecognizedschools which are mostly operatingin rural areas or urban slumsproviding educational services tothe poor) except governmentschools, to be shut down in threeyears time if they do not pay theteachers’ wages to a certain amount,if the pupil-teacher ratio is not asper government’s norm or if they donot have adequate infrastructure forrunning the schools. This meansthat a better alternative would havebeen to find mechanisms throughwhich public resources could havebeen infused into these schools. Thisexemption from the act from thesame ‘requirements’ for governmentschools is the case of doublestandards – with the public sectorbeing exempted.

School Management Committees:

The Act requires every governmentand aided school to form SchoolManagement Committees (SMCs)which are to comprise mostlyparents (who would generally befrom economically weaker sections),and are to be responsible forplanning and managing theoperations of government and aidedschools. Rather than making thecommittee members to volunteertheir time for these committees, ifsome kind of monetarycompensation be paid to them tocompensate their time spent, itwould increase the efficiency andfocus of such committees.

Teachers:

The government has gone too far byrequiring high teacher salariesaveraging close to Rs.20,000 permonth. These wages are clearly outof line in comparison with themarket wage of a teacher in mostschools in the country. A bettermechanism would be to allowschools to design their own teachersalaries with autonomy in managingthem. In the RTE Act, properdisciplinary channels for teachershave not been defined. SMCs needto be given this power to allowspeedy disciplinary action at thelocal level. Performance based payscales need to be considered as away to improve teaching.

25% reservations in unaidedprivate schools:

As per this stipulation, privateschools will receive reimbursementsfrom the government for the 25%reservation calculated on the basisof per-child expenditure ingovernment schools. In this case,there is lack of clarity in design andimplementation strategy with regardto the method of calculation of per-child reimbursement expenditure(which is to exclude capital cost)leading to inadequate resource flowto private schools which may in turngive rise to resentment from theprivate schools. Besides this, therecould be exclusion anddiscrimination of poor students inschools. The policy guidelines andsupport structure from thegovernment are also not clear. Eachof the components of this scheme,therefore, needs to be reviewed andits effectiveness measured. The Actalso fails to mention the basis ofidentification for the children whoare to receive free education.However, if implemented well, thisprovision will enable close to 2million poor students to accessbetter quality private school.

Financial estimates:

Most education experts agree thatthe amount allocated for RTEimplementation will be insufficient.From an estimate of an additionalRs.3.2 trillion to Rs.4.4 trillion forthe implementation of RTE DraftBill 2005 over six years (CentralAdvisory Board of Education,CABE) the figure finally set nowstands at a much reduced Rs.1.7trillion over the coming five years.The financial estimates for the RTEfor the coming five years are basedon certain unjustified assumptions.In the absence of proper mapping,the estimates assume that one thirdof all additional classrooms need tobe built in new schools and the restin already existing schools.Moreover, the estimates stipulate amonthly average of Rs.8400/- asteacher salary for primary and 80%of the upper primary level teachersas per the revised 6th Central PayCommission. This figure is anunderestimate in view of theadditional expenses incurred onteachers over and above the basicsalary as well as the long term costssuch as teacher pensions.Furthermore, the estimates ignoreimportant expenses required toimprove accountability structures,monitoring processes, awarenessbuilding and 25% reservationimplementation. It is vital toremember that proper budgeting andproper utilization of resources bothgo hand in hand and the lattershould be given equal if not greaterimportance.

Since education falls under theconcurrent list of the Constitution,financial negotiations are beingundertaken between the Central andState authorities to agree on sharingof expenses. This was previouslyagreed at 35:65 between Centre andStates, though States like UttarPradesh and Bihar continue to arguethat their share should be lower.


These unresolved negotiations andpoliticization may hinder the properimplementation of the Act.

Right to Education: A wayforward

The RTE Act has been passed; theModel Rules have been released;financial closure appears in hand.Does this mean the policy process isnow impervious to change? Even

today, much can be achieved byfollowing a multi-pronged strategyof four As: Advocacy, Awareness,Accountability and Assistance.

Advocacy:

State Rules which are yet to bedrafted can still be improvedthrough advocacy. Advocacy on theflaws of the Central arrangements,and partnerships with stateeducation departments, could yieldimprovements in at least some stateslike that of Madhya Pradesh DraftRules which stipulate that theparents of the children who got thehighest marks in the annualexamination will be members of

SMC and ideas such as therecommendation for third partyevaluation and independent learningassessment in Karnataka.

Awareness:

Schools need to be made aware ofprovisions of the 25% reservations,the role of SMCs and therequirements under the Schedule.This can be undertaken throughmass awareness programs as wellas ensuring proper understanding bystakeholders responsible for itsimplementation.

Accountability:

Besides bringing about designchanges, we as responsible civilsociety members need to make thegovernment accountable throughsocial audits, citizen report cards,community score cards, filing rightto information (RTI) applicationsand demanding our children’s rightto quality elementary education.Special emphasis on ensuringoptimal utilization of allocatedresources should be made.Moreover, a large number ofdifferent groups affected by this Actwill challenge it in court. In fact agroup of unaided private schoolsfrom Rajasthan have already filed awrit petition. It is, therefore,critically important for us to followsuch cases and where feasibleprovide support which addressestheir concerns without jeopardizingthe implementation of the Act.

(Dr Parth J Shah is the president of Centre for Civil Society that runs the School Choice Campaign and voucher pilots in Delhi,

[email protected]

Ms. Shreya Agarwal is a Research Associate with Centre for Civil Society conducting research on education under the School Choice

Campaign, [email protected])

Assistance to private schools:

Since unrecognized schools couldface closure in view of prescribedrecognition standards within threeyears, we could find ways tosupport such schools to improvetheir facilities by resource supportand providing linkages withfinancial institutions. Moreover, byinstituting proper ratingmechanisms wherein schools can berated on the basis of infrastructure,learning achievements and otherquality indicators, constructivecompetition can ensue. Public-Private Partnerships as under theGyanodaya scheme introduced bythe Rajasthan government areanother way to promote privateprovision. Under this scheme theestablishment, management andoperation of 50 senior secondaryschools is carried out throughPublic-Private Partnership ondesign, build, finance, manage,operate and transfer basis.

Finally, along with ensuringimplementation of the RTE Actwhich stipulates focused reforms ingovernment schools and regulationfor private schools, we need tobroaden our vision so as to create asystem conducive to spontaneousprivate involvement. Let thegovernment and the private sectorcome together to finally givemeaning to our fundamental right ofgood quality elementary educationfor all.

Even though better schoolfacilities, books, uniforms andbetter qualified teachers areimportant, their significance inthe Act has been overestimated inthe light of inefficient, corruptand unaccountable institutions ofeducation provision.


A Christian Perspective on Education,Its History and Practice

Dr. Varaprasad

IntroductionEducation is one of the most robustforces of not only social andcultural but also economic andpolitical life and empowerment.John Dewey, an eminent scholar oneducation, could not be more rightwhen he underscored: “whatnutrition and reproduction are tophysiological life, education is tosocial life.”1 Those who realize itsimportance and take necessarysteps, do see its indelible impact ontheir lives as well as on the lives ofsuccessive generations. Articulatinga Christian perspective on such apivotal issue, in the light ofScripture, history and practice fortwo millennia, is both challengingand overwhelming. Yet, an attemptis made to contribute to the ongoingdebate on education.

Education in the ScriptureThe Scripture, in its two segmentsof the Old Testament (OT) and theNew Testament (NT), has much tosay on education. Though there isno direct reference to the termeducation in the OT, there is anindirect one, that too in the NT(Acts 7:22) on the theme pertainingto OT wherein it says that Moseswas educated in all the wisdom ofEgyptians. However, there areseveral other phrases that are

1 John Dewey, Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education (New Delhi: Aakar Books, 2004), p. 10.2 James E. Reed and Ronnie Prevost, A History of Christian Education (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers,1993), p. 45.

closely associated with educationsuch as teach, instruct, train, andwrite. For instance, “You shall teachthem to your sons, talking of themwhen you sit in your house andwhen you walk along the road andwhen you lie down and when yourise up. You shall write them on thedoorposts of your house and onyour gates…” (Deut.11:18-21)powerfully demonstrates God’sconcern and approach to education.In fact, it was God, the firsteducator, who initiated educationwhen He instructed Adamand Eve to rule the earthand about the knowledge ofgood and evil (Gen.1:28and Gen. 2:16-17). Thiswas reinforced later when“God told Abraham to direct hischildren to keep the way of the Lordby doing what is right and just”(Gen 18:19).2

As a result, as the OT quite vividlyexemplifies that of all thecommunities in ancient period, theJewish community emerged as oneof the most conscious of thesignificance of education. Thisphenomenon was systematicallywoven into the community throughspiritual education to be impartedby the parents at home, some sort ofhome schooling, which covers their

social, political, cultural andeconomic history. The core ofeducation at home was characterformation without negating theacquisition of knowledge andcompetence. At the same time thefocus was on wisdom, which waspractical and relevant for theindividual and the society. As theIsraelites formed a nation, theresponsibility was given to theLevites and later to Rabbis.Thereafter, they establishedsynagogues that functioned as

community schools and colleges inthe Jewish society. Following someof these excellent traditions,individuals like Job, Joseph,Deborah, David, Solomon, Danieland many others excelled ineducation and contributed incountless ways to both the Israelination and others of their times aswell as down through the centuriesincluding many of us today. Thoughthere were some women like Estherwho excelled in life, an unfortunatephenomenon was that the educationof girls and women was ratherneglected.

Biblical model of educationenunciates the transformation ofcharacter and empowerment of theun-empowered.


The New Testament’s discourse oneducation has to begin with Jesusbeing educated at home followingthe Jewish tradition and perhaps atsome local synagogue for spiritualteaching. His divine qualities aside,at the age of twelve Jesus displayedan extraordinary acumen and depthin His knowledge of the Scripturethat perplexed even the templeteachers. This speaks volumes ofJoseph and Mary’s commitment toeducation of their children.

Right from the outset of Hisministry Jesus brought a new focusto education. He took educationfrom synagogues to the streets, richto the poor and from powerful tothe powerless. His teachingmethods also radically changed theface of education, particularly thespiritual education. For a moment,imagine Jesus Christ not as theLord and Saviour but as a teacher/Principal/VC while he wasselecting the disciples. I guess noneof them would have qualified to behis students if he had conducted anentrance test on the depth of theirunderstanding of the Scripturefollowed by an interview. I am surethat you would raise a “pertinent”issue saying that this is school andnot ministry. Granted. The criteria,which he used to select them, werequite different from what is used inthe educational institutions oftoday. This, however, does notmean that we should do away withentrance tests and interviews. Farfrom it. What it implies is that anindividual, regardless of the socialand economic background, canclimb the educational ladder andexcel as much as anybody else

provided those who imparteducation have such an approach.Jesus’ association with those on themargins of his times and Hiscommitment to teach them indicatesthe need to make educationtransform the lives on the marginsof today by making educationaccessible to them. In other words,for Jesus, education is a powerfultool to make both the individual abetter person and the society abetter place to live in.

The above discussion can bedistilled as a Biblical model ofeducation, which enunciates thetransformation of character andempowerment of the un-empowered.The parents, pastors, lay leadersand the educators in the educationalinstitutions of all levels have acentral role in this model.

Christianity and Education inHistory and Practice

Indisputably Christianity has done agreat deal to the cause of educationdown through the centuries. Anumber of educational institutions,including Harvard, Cambridge,Oxford and Allahabad AgriculturalInstitute were established byChristian educators. Modern

education was spread in a numberof developing countries during thecolonial rule. While analyzing thetrajectory of colonial education onemust make a clear distinctionbetween the institutions establishedby the colonizers and those by themissionaries. The former used theeducational institutions to prepareadministrative staff to rule theempire, which perpetrated andreinforced the traditional and localeducational legacies promotingstatus quo and empowering thealready empowered. Theeducational institutions that wereestablished by the missionaries, onthe other hand, strived to empowerthe un-empowered who were pushedto the margins by the nativeeducational system through thecenturies. A case in point is theexclusion and banning of somecommunities from reading andlearning by certain spiritualtraditions. The missionaries targetedsome of these excluded communitiesand empowered them in asystematic way.

During the Cold War period,education had been used both by theLeft and the Right besides theCentrists and all the other shades ofpolitical affiliation to disseminatetheir ideologies and their ownversion of historical narratives tothe exclusion of the other narratives,particularly those on the margins ofhistory, politics and society. Incontrast, the Biblical model ofeducation accommodates all kindsof narratives giving preeminence totruth. Inspired by this, PauloFreire,3 an educational consultantfor World Council of Churches in

Humanity in general andstudents in particular haveto be seen as those createdin God’s image. And theChristian educationalinstitutions must, therefore,endeavour to contributetheir bit to facilitating therestoration of that image.


the 1970s, was quite accurate whenhe compellingly articulated that thecurrent banking system ofeducation, which considers thestudents as a bank where theteachers deposit knowledge, tendsto promote a “culture of silence”among the students and theoppressed communities in thelarger context because thedominant communities use it as aninstrument to continue theirdominance. Therefore, headvocated for a new form ofeducation what he called problem-solving education, which preparesthe students to understand theirplace in society and politicalsystem and transform them in sucha way that they have a respectableplace.

But in the post-colonial and morerecently in the post-Cold Warcontext, many of the successiveeducational institutions have notlived up to the Biblical model ofeducation. The current educationalarchitecture has become morecomplex in the wake of inescapablechanging contexts of the recentphase of commercialization,privatization and globalization thathave made education a businessand an enterprise. Some may arguethat there is nothing inherentlywrong with the changing notions ofeducation and the present trendsarguing that the educational

3 Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (London: Penguin Books, 1996), pp. 52-67.4 Thomas John, “A Christian Perspective on Education”, http://www.savecsi.net/2010/09/christian-perspective-on-education.html, accessedon 3 May 2011.5 Tammy Drennan, “Education: A Christian Perspective”, 20 July 2009 http://educationconversation.wordpress.com/category/education-a-christian-perspective/, accessed on 3 May 2011. Though I have some doubts about the essence of this article, which strongly advocatesfor home schooling and is critical of public schools in the US, some of the ideas articulated here are discussed in it.

institutions must serve the economyand must be in sync with thechanging trends. But the vitalquestion that one must not beoblivious to is: Are we narrowingthe larger vision of education? Infact, the purpose of educationencompasses more than theeconomic demands of the presenttimes. While it is good to acquireknowledge and contribute to theeconomy, society and polity, it iseven more important to acquireknowledge with character, valuesand morals. Therefore, the purpose,process and environment ofeducation are as important, if notmore, as the product and content ofeducation.

Some of the Christian educationalinstitutions are going with thecurrent tide and trends rather thanfunctioning as those that prepare thestudents in a holistic manner. Whilecritiquing this kind of trend thatlooks at human beings, particularlythe students, as resources, ThomasJohn calls upon the educationalinstitutions to consider them aspotentialities.4 While this approachis estimable, I go a step further andposit that humanity in general andstudents in particular have to beseen as those created in God’simage. And the Christianeducational institutions must,therefore, endeavour to contributetheir bit to facilitating the

restoration of that image.5 Thisrequires appropriate attitudinalchanges among all the stakeholdersfor the diversification andbetterment of human and intellectualcapital.

Concluding Remarks

There is an imperative need forfundamental rethinking andrestructuring of education,particularly in the light of Scripture,historical legacies and the changingtrends of the present times. This isquintessential for education acrossthe globe as well as in India.

One of the key challenges foreducation in the world in generaland in India in particular is to makeit inclusive and equitable. Equity ineducation is as important asexcellence. They need to go hand inhand. Neglecting one and focusingon the other is doing injustice notonly to both but also to the largersociety. For Jesus, I believe, equity

Equity in education is asimportant as excellence. Theyneed to go hand in hand.Neglecting one and focusing onthe other is doing injustice notonly to both but also to thelarger society.


is more important than excellence.You may ask me how I substantiateit. Think for a moment, if Jesus hadbeen more concerned aboutexcellence than equity, he wouldhave selected the Pharisees andSadducees, who were well informedand learned in the law, and notfishermen and tax collectors. Asfollowers of Christ and HisKingdom values we need to ensureexcellence without neglectingequity.

In addition, like sustainabledevelopment, we need, what I callSustainable Education, whichensures that education issustainable by arresting the

appalling dropout rates.This can beone of the answers for the illsconfronting education in India.Similarly, as social audit, which hasbeen making some of the policymakers and those who implementthe policies more responsible andaccountable, we need some sort ofEducational Audit that will delveinto the reasons why our educationhas not been expanding incomparison to that of itscounterpart in the advancedcountries even after sixty-threeyears of independence. These twoprocesses have to be carried out byboth the Indian government as wellas the Christian educationalinstitutions. If the Christian

institutions fail to ensure this, thechurch leadership must intervene,without undermining theirautonomy, and make sure theyfollow Jesus’ model.

Above all, Christian educators-teachers and those who lead theeducational institutions at primary,high school, college and universitylevels - must strive to see that theBiblical model of education(character transformation in termsof values, ethics and moralbehaviour and empowering the un-empowered and partiallyempowered) is effectively impartedand implemented.

I am grateful to my wife, a spiritual mentor and two friends for their insightful inputs into the article.(Dr. Varaprasad is a teacher)

Photo: EFICOR Kukna Project


Education for Tribal Communities in India

Pamela MacKenzie

Sumani never wanted to go to school. She was afraid. She thought the teacher would beat her. She wouldrather help her mother in the house. She also loved to play outside. She did not like to take a bath,preferring just to stay dirty. However, when the Desiya MLE class started in the village, her parentswanted her to attend. Sumani was still afraid, so her parents, for a whole week, had to bring her to theclass. Soon she went by herself. She even wanted to go to school. Now, even when her parents requesther sometimes to take care of the grazing animals, she refuses; she does not want to miss a day of class!Sumani now speaks more than one language, not just Desiya but also Oriya. She is not calling her mom“aya” any more, but uses “ma”. She talks about taking further studies; at a school outside of the village.She loves to go to school. (Told by Sumani’s father, VEC member at Koraput, Orissa)

As many of us are aware, children who speaka language at home which is different fromthe language of school often face difficultiesin learning. Schooling in a language notunderstood so limits children’s progress in theacquisition of knowledge and skills that feware able to go on to higher studies or findemployment. Children from minority languagecommunities are particularly at risk of havinga bad experience resulting in low achievementlevels or dropping out of school altogether.These children are thus set up for rejectionand its consequence in low self esteem: asystem failure that translates into experiencedpersonal failure. The graph shows that the dropout rate by the end of primary school is almost 80%, 27%dropping out in the first year of school.

Research suggests that children require between 5 and 7 years learning a second language (Cummins 2000;some suggest longer - see Heugh 2005), both general and structured learning, before it can be successfully usedas the medium of instruction. However, it is only in the past decade or so that there has been increasingwillingness in some countries to use the languages children speak in the classroom to ensure a better quality ofeducation. Using the mother tongue does not detract from children’s learning, but actually enhances the learningof concepts as well as of other languages. A strong foundation in the mother tongue is essential to learning. Asstudies in Orissa have shown, “maintenance of the indigenous language is a social and psychological resource”(Mohanty et al 2009) not a hindrance to learning. Thus, many countries are now developing pilots and largerscale multilingual education programmes, a vital ingredient for achieving the Millennium Development Goals!

India’s diverse multilingual, multicultural society1 creates a complex challenge to the Government as theyattempt to provide a quality education for its tribal communities, but educational provision has tended to ignorethe issues and state governments have provided education in official languages only or, increasingly, in English.While access to schools is increasing, tribal children still lag significantly behind their non-tribal counterparts inreading, writing and in academic attainment. But this is not to be wondered at when education is conducted in alanguage the children do not understand, set in the context of a culture that is not their own, using teaching


methods that are unrelated to the ways tribal children gain knowledge within their own communities. Added tothis, achievement levels are measured only in terms of the content of a curriculum and textbooks which bear littlerelationship to the reality of tribal children’s lives.

PolicyThat children have the right to learn in their mother tongue is contained within the Indian constitution (Article350A, 1950); and more recently the Right to Education Bill restates this right (April 2010). The NationalCurriculum Framework (2005) also makes it clear that language and culture are important to children’s learningand supports the use of children’s home languages in the classroom.

PracticeWhile national policy is supportive of the principles of learning in mother tongue, few states attempted to providechildren from ethno linguistic minority communities with an education which uses their local languages at schooland there are no clear guidelines on how to deliver a mother tongue based multilingual education (MLE) for tribalchildren. While various NGOs such as Asha Kiran have made very positive steps towards developingmultilingual education2 (MLE) as well as supporting children with support through the mother tongue ingovernment primary schools and children are successfully learning, few governments have responded to thechallenges language raises.

However, between 2001 and 2003 representations were made to the Secretary of Education by NGOs andlinguists from the local universities that a mother tongue based multilingual programme should be authorized.The secretary gave approval and strong support. Initial plans were provided by the NGO/linguists and togetherwith two government departments the programme was initiated. It began as a pilot with 10 schools in each of 8language communities. Once the alphabet had been established by the linguists working with the communities, theprogramme focused on curriculum development; literacy and orthography development; teacher training; teacherrecruitment and placement. Funding was available via the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme. In 2006 Orissabegan a similar programme in ten language groups (see www.ssa.ap.nic.in and www.opepa.in for more details ofthese programmes).

Impact on the primary schoolSeveral years ago, the primary school at Soilpoda was not functioning very well. There were 3 teachers assigned tothe school, but often they did not attend. Even if they were present, often no teaching took place. The teacher wouldcome late and leave early and the children had to work on their own. When the MLE School started in this village,things gradually began to change.

The principal of the primary school came to see the classes. He liked the methodology and reported on it officiallyin his records. He showed support for the MLE classes. Sometime later he retired. As not much teaching was goingon in the school, and the children were complaining about that fact, the MLE teacher Laju decided to step in. Afterthe MLE class in the early morning, he went with the children to the primary school to teach the children there aswell. Because of that, the teachers could not lock up the building at noon and go home but had to stay till 4:00p.m.The teachers complained as the MLE teacher did not have the official credentials needed to teach at the governmentschool. However, gradually the teachers realised what the community expected of them. They also noticed that thechildren became far more “teachable”. The children were eager to learn and showed progress. This motivated theteachers to become more active.

The teachers are now actively keeping track of absent children and are themselves more frequently present. TheMLE teachers are continuing to assist in the government school since they know that the accreditation of thechildren’s progress has to come from the government schools. There is now good and frequent communicationbetween the teachers of the MLE centres and the government school. The VEC is also pleased that the teachers aremore regular and taking their responsibilities more seriously.

(Told by Laju, an MLE teacher; Koraput, Orissa)


Andhra Pradesh is in its 5th year of implementation and Orissa in its 3rd year of implementation. Theprogrammes in both states have achieved some positive changes to the structures and habits in the school systemin a reasonably short time. Studies and evaluations of the programmes show good results on reducing dropoutrates and increasing levels of learning achievement. There is now a much greater support nationally for mothertongue based MLE programmes in India and a centre has been set up at Jawaharlal Nehru University (see: http://www.nmrc-jnu.org) with UNICEF funding to support both national and state governments in providing mothertongue based multilingual education programmes for tribal communities.

MLE: What is it?Multilingual Education is a programme which starts in a language the children understand, adding other vitallanguages (e.g. state and national languages) in a phased and structured way. The content of an MLE curriculumcovers all the concepts required by the national curriculum, but, particularly in the initial stages of learning, isrooted in the local culture and environment ensuring that children are able to understand. Learning to read andwrite in a language you know is far easier than attempting to read and write in an unknown language. The skillslearned can easily be transferred to other languages. Gradually they can move from the known environment tothe unknown widening their knowledge and understanding in both language and culture.

Learning a new language should happen in stages with a strong focus on oral second language learning beforelearning to read and write in that language. Learning the sounds (or music) of that language and developing abasic vocabulary are essential foundations to learning the mechanics of reading and writing. The process is along one and takes considerable planning and effort.

For the state level, National Multilingual Education Resource Consortium (NMRC) at JNU has suggested thatthe processes should be followed:

• Establish a core team and build capacity of this team• Plan for community participation• Hold a State level consultation including community members• Develop Action Plan for MLE implementation• Form MLE Resource Groups at State and District level• Conduct Sociolinguistic survey• Identify MLE project areas• Develop State MLE plan• Plan for Monitoring, Review and Evaluation• Create MLE staff positions at state and District offices• Implementation of MLE programme• Process for documentation and evaluation.

NGOs need to consider a number of different aspects which Dr. Susan Malone has outlined in the following plan:• Gather information for planning• Raise awareness and mobilize partners, communities and other stakeholders at local, regional and national

levels• Develop writing systems (orthographies) for unwritten languages• Develop a locally appropriate curriculum which covers the concepts and skills required by the national

curriculum (in the case of pre and primary schooling)• Develop materials – local language reading materials, games and activities which support the

implementation of the curriculum, second language learning materials• Recruit and train local staff• Document and evaluate all aspects of the programme (curriculum, teachers, supervisors, trainers and

training programme, materials, student progress, community involvement, cost effectiveness, long termimpact; is the programme sustainable?)

(Continued on Page 16)


Table 1: Pupil-Teacher Ratio at Primary and Upper Primary Levels of Education: 2006-07 and 2007-08 in India

Facts And FiguresFacts And FiguresFacts And FiguresFacts And FiguresFacts And Figures

A & N Islands 15 15 15 16 15 0Andhra Pradesh 25 24 19 19 21 0Arunachal Pradesh 22 20 22 22 20 0Assam 28 27 19 19 24 0Bihar 65 54 67 59 54 36Chandigarh 24 25 23 24 24 0Dadra & Nagar Haveli 45 36 46 38 36 0Daman & Diu 31 31 41 31 30 0Delhi 26 25 21 20 24 0Goa 25 20 26 20 19 0Gujarat 35 33 36 33 33 0Himachal Pradesh 19 18 18 17 17 0Jammu & Kashmir 16 16 17 16 16 0Jharkhand 49 47 48 45 45 17Karnataka 32 30 34 33 30 2Kerala 26 23 28 22 22 0Lakshadweep 18 21 23 19 20 0Madhya Pradesh 39 37 32 31 36 14Maharashtra 27 27 31 30 27 0Manipur 21 20 20 19 19 0Meghalaya 19 18 17 16 17 0Mizoram 16 16 12 14 14 0Nagaland 24 20 25 24 19 0Orissa 32 26 39 35 29 0Puducherry 25 20 24 19 18 0Punjab 36 38 27 29 32 3Rajasthan 32 30 29 28 29 1Sikkim 12 14 18 19 14 0Tamil Nadu 31 30 26 34 31 0Tripura 23 22 23 23 22 0Uttar Pradesh 55 52 48 45 50 60Uttarakhand 27 28 26 23 25 1West Bengal 45 45 62 57 48 16All states 36 34 32 31 33 151

State / UT Primary Level

2006 - 2007 2007 - 2008

Upper PrimaryLevel

2007 - 2008

All categoryschools

No. of Districts wherePTR is above 40: All

Schools2007 - 20082007 - 20082006 - 2007


NSSO (National Sample SurveyOrganization) survey in 2004-05 foundthat the number of children from the poorfamilies in rural India who were not goingto school was 29% for 5-14 year olds. Thisis around 80, 43,889 children and as highas 75% for 15-19 year olds.

2005-06I-V 18.95 47.51 9.56 47.56VI-VII/VIII 17.78 45.40 7.47 43.93I-VII/VIII 18.64 46.99 9.02 46.77



GRADES SC Enrolment ST Enrolment

% SC Girls tototal SC

enrolment

% ST Girls tototal ST

enrolment

% %

Table 3: Percentage of SC & ST Enrolment to TotalEnrolment: 2005-06 to 2007-08

Table 2: Drop-out Rate in percentage(Based on common schools 2003-04 and 2004-05)

State Class Class Class Class Class Average Primary I II III IV V Classes I-V

Andhra Pradesh 12.34 15.06 15.15 13.01 59.15 22.43Assam 13.37 4.53 3.26 2.07 9.63 7.22Bihar 14.44 3.84 2.75 -3.86 30.17 9.36Chandigarh -1.33 1.52 -1.27 3.60 5.33 1.61Chhattisgarh 9.53 4.23 7.02 6.93 17.12 8.69Gujarat 5.79 2.95 3.68 5.20 6.32 4.77Haryana 15.08 7.37 5.35 4.56 44.69 14.60Himachal Pradesh 4.77 2.15 1.89 2.90 15.80 5.44Jharkhand 9.27 2.28 3.98 2.33 20.04 6.99Karnataka 6.28 4.24 4.14 3.93 9.56 5.61Kerala 2.18 2.45 2.18 3.91 0.75 2.30Madhya Pradesh 8.06 6.90 9.64 4.36 22.41 10.13Maharashtra 5.36 3.27 3.65 15.30 4.68 6.38Meghalaya 37.75 13.37 13.66 14.60 11.36 22.29Mizoram 15.67 -11.88 -2.46 -9.64 5.56 1.23Nagaland -1.97 -2.02 1.94 14.20 1.63 2.22Orissa 15.21 7.54 7.84 6.72 23.22 11.80Punjab -0.11 -1.27 -1.02 -1.68 38.40 6.33Rajasthan 24.97 12.03 10.21 4.74 15.60 15.02Sikkim 7.07 0.03 4.29 2.41 7.81 4.26Tamil Nadu 5.78 2.77 1.82 1.66 3.82 3.17Tripura 7.36 0.87 3.51 4.71 8.07 4.86Uttar Pradesh 11.63 8.34 11.22 9.41 47.91 15.50Uttaranchal 14.38 5.19 7.25 6.16 29.52 12.06West Bengal 18.24 3.75 4.34 16.20 13.47 11.78All States 12.17 6.01 6.76 7.27 22.87 10.64

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In India, out of 1.124 million

schools, 87% are in rural areas

No building 46346No single student 15791Only one teacher 121794No toilets over 50%

‘Untouchability in Rural India’, a studybased on a survey done in 2006 across 565villages covering 11 states, shows that asmany as 38 per cent of government schoolsmake Dalit children sit separately duringmeals. In 20 per cent of the schools, theyare not permitted to drink water from thesame source. The dropout rate among Dalitchildren is about 90 per cent.

Sources:

Education for All – Global Monitoring Report - 2007.

India 2005-06 DHS.

http://education.nic.in/ad_edu.asp

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001865/186592e.pdf

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/india_statistics.html

Elementary Education in India: Analytical Report, 2007-08India’s human development index 2007.

Drop-out Rate at Primary Level: A Note Based on DISE2003-04 & 2004-05, Arun C. Mehta, National Institute ofPlanning and Administration, New Delhi.

DISE 2001, District Report Cards, published by theNational University of Educational Planning andAdministration, New Delhi.

Elementary Education in India: Analytical Report, 2007-08,Published by the National University of Educational Planningand Administration, New Delhi.


• Cooperation between stakeholders (government, communities, donors, NGOs); the programme will not besustainable without the support of all, especially government.

(See http://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/110/Booklet%204%20-%20Programme%20Implementers.pdffor details of developing and implementing an MLE programme)

The involvement of national (and even international) linguistic and pedagogical consultants, who worked withstakeholders at all levels, ensures that orthography and literacy development in local languages is linked with thepreparation of curriculum materials and textbooks. It also ensures that key people at different levels are exposedto clear evidence and arguments about why this approach is needed, and what it should involve in practicalterms. (Save the Children, UK forthcoming)

Resources and further reading:

Mohanty A K, Mishra M K, Reddy U N, Ramesh G V; Overcoming the Language Barrier for Tribal Children: MLE inAndhra Pradesh and Orissa, India http://www.nmrc-jnu.org/nmrc_img/NMRC2.pdf

UNESCO Publications on MLE http://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/110/Booklet%204%20-%20Programme%20Implementers.pdf

Multistrategy instruction http://www.sil.org/linguaLinks/literacy/ImplementALiteracyProgram/TheMultistrategyInstructionalP.htm

Language and Education: the missing link http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_9851.htm

Steps Towards Learning: A guide to overcoming language barriers in children’s educationhttp://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_7939.htm

Policy brief: inclusive education http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_7733.htm

(Pamela Mackenzie: Ad. Dip. Ed.; MA; PhD works as Education Consultant, International Network for Development. Pamelaworked for several years as a primary teacher in the UK and in the Yemen Arab Republic. For the past 10 years she has beendeveloping and supporting multilingual education (MLE) programmes with government, academic institutions, NGOs andinternational agencies mainly in India and Bangladesh)

Footnotes:1 Linguistic diversity: The Census of India (1961) recorded 1652 mother tongues with a much larger number of dialects which have

been classified into 300 to 400 major languages belonging to five language families. But only 22 of these are “official” languages

(Constitution of India, VIIIth schedule, after the 100th constitutional amendment, December 2003), along with English (the associate

official language). 80% of Indian languages are endangered, most of them tribal.

Scripts: 11 major scripts are used to write the major languages; the majority of tribal languages do not have a script - only 13 minor

and tribal languages have their own scripts. Where orthographies are being developed, it is general policy that the script of the

dominant regional language is used, though some groups, particularly in North East India have chosen Roman script.

Tribal communities: According to the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI), there are 623 tribal communities, with a total population

of 84.3 million. This constitutes 8.2% of the total population (1028.6 million) (Census of India, 2001). The majority of these 80 million

people live in rural and economically underdeveloped areas.2 The MLE programme of AKS is based on the Multi-Strategy Approach of Dr. Mary Stringer: http://www.sil.org/linguaLinks/literacy/

ImplementALiteracyProgram/TheMultistrategyInstructionalP.htm

(Continued from Page 13)


Tucked away in the secluded Sri Ram Colony of East

Delhi one of the many slums scattered around the city of

Delhi, live many poor migrant labourers. Families living

here are mostly migrants from rural Uttar Pradesh or the

neighbouring states who came to Delhi in search of

better livelihood. Most of the men work as contract

labourers and their meagre income can barely support

their often large families. A few showers the previous

day had made the roads muddy and to reach the school

run by the SPTWD (Society for Promotion of Tribal

Welfare and Development) known as Ebion Public

School, through the potholes on the road was not an

easy ride.

Arshad is a 13 year old boy, quite sincere and full of

determination to study well. His eyes sparkled as he

told me that he would like to become a Policeman one

day and free his parents of the financial burden that

they are facing. Arshad’s mother works as a sweeper

of the school and his father is a contract labourer. With

much confidence he said that he may also be able to

punish the law offenders and change their wrong

behaviours. I was amazed at his response that a small

boy like him who lives in a not so ideal place for a

child, could speak so positively about the education he

received.

Some children are a little old for their class.

Tarannum, a 7 year old girl, who should have been in

class II, is still in nursery. She has 5 sisters and 4

brothers and all of them are not studying. She is

unsure of what she wants to be when she grows big.

School life for her means a mere refuge from her

regular daily chores at home. Even at such a young

age, like most of the children in the school, she has to

help her mother with her embroidery work to

supplement the family income, take care of her

Photo: Joan

(Story by Joan)

LOOKING FORWARD TO SCHOOL EACH DAY...

younger sister after school and do some household

chores. For children like Tarannum going to school

and to really learn is not so easy, as narrated by her

teacher. The reasons include that her parents may not

have enough time to help them in their studies like in

doing their homework. Though their parents’

educational level is another side of the story, there is

hardly any time for children like Tarannum to learn at

home and do well in their studies. Poverty has been

cited as one of the main factors for the students of this

school for not performing well in their studies, which

has about 200 students from nursery to class V.

These stories reveal how children of these poor

urban communities like those in Sri Ram Colony

continue to have belief in their school. Most of them

do not have parental support in terms of studies as

parents here do not have the luxury of spending

adequate time with their children at home. Though

they would also prefer to spend their time at home

with their children and help them in their studies,

they do not have any other option but to be away

from their homes to earn a living. This leads to over

aged children in the school, poor performance of the

students (despite the efforts of the teachers) and

eventually children dropping out from the schools

without completing even primary education as their

labour is very much needed at home to supplement

the family income.


For 14 year-old Kanchana, who recently graduatedfrom one of the high schools run by the Dalit EducationCentres, life remains almost the same. Her parents andother siblings still live inside a large broken drainagepipe on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Yet she proudlydeclares with a twinkle in her eyes, “I want to become adoctor and serve the poor.” Kanchana hopes to getadmission in one of the colleges nearby and become adoctor.

Last year, about 50 students passed out from the DalitEducation Centres (DECs) run by the OperationMobilization (OM) and all of them have set their goalshigh. The students at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu - most ofthem sons and daughters of bonded labourers - passedtheir public examinations with distinction, with a fewscoring as high as 92 per cent. There is no doubt thatthese children would certainly make academic historyand prove to the world that “Dalits are second to noneand can learn any language, technology or science.”

The Great Divide in Education“I am proud of India, my country, for its rich heritageand diverse culture. At the same time I feel ashamed ofthe fact that the Dalits and other marginalised sectionshave been systematically denied of their due, especiallythe privilege of learning the English language. Living inabject poverty, they can send their children only togovernment schools. “This kind of education has nottransformed their lives and brought emancipation totheir communities,” says a Dalit leader, who has been atthe forefront in liberating the underprivileged section insociety.

‘Untouchability in Rural India’, a study based on asurvey done in 2006 across 565 villages covering 11states, shows that as many as 38 per cent ofgovernment schools make Dalit children sit separatelywhile having their meals. In 20 per cent of the schools,they are not permitted to drink water from the samesource. “I have personally seen and heard testimonies ofDalit children who are forced by their teachers to clean

the toilets during the lunch break or other intervals,” theleader says.

In sharp contrast, the DEC schools demonstrate adifferent thinking. These schools demonstrate equalityand dignity because God has created everyone – menand women, Dalit and non-Dalit, Indian and foreigner –as equals. They had a humble beginning 10 years ago atthe instance of Dalit leaders across the country.

Initiatives to counter the Great DivideIn 2001, several well known Dalit-Bahujan leadersconfronted the Christian community in India. While wewere taking on the government for increasing attacks bythe Sangh Parivar on the Christian minority in Gujaratand elsewhere, the Dalits reminded us that theythemselves have been suffering for hundreds of years.They acknowledged the help provided by the Christianeducational institutions to the Dalits, the poor, and themarginalized throughout India. However, most of theseinstitutions have now become profit-centres by way ofcatering to the upper sections in India.

It is important to note that most of these private schoolsare not located where Dalit-Bahujans live: in the ruralexpanses of India. The national leadership of severalDalit-Bahujan organisations invited OM to start high-quality English medium schools in these locations. Theleaders would introduce the DEC staff to localsarpanches and panchayat leaders and expected OM, inreturn, to commit to treating students from all faithsequally and to ensure that the teachers treat everystudent – no matter what his or her caste is – withdignity.

Impact of Low Quality EducationThe schools run by the DEC celebrated their firstGraduation in 2009. Today the success of these childrento move on in life could be attributed to the DECschools from which they received their primaryschooling. With the educational policies of thegovernment and the kind of sub-standard education

Quality Education for Dalits - A Tool to Wipe off the GreatDivide: A Case Study of OM’s Dalit Education Centres

Albert Lael


provided by state-run schools, it would have beenimpossible to dream big for these Dalit children.Though various political parties keep promising freeeducation for everyone from time to time, the realityhas not changed for the Dalits and the marginalized.The government schools that offer free education areactually turning out to be free - minus any learning!

The figures speak loudly. A NSSO (National SampleSurvey Organisation) survey in 2004-05 found that thenumber of children from the poor families in rural Indiawho were not going to school was 29 per cent for 5-14year olds and as high as 75 per cent for 15-19 yearolds.

Pratham’s 2007 ASER report revealed that 58.3 percent of Class V students in rural government schoolscould not read a simple textbook passage which theyshould have learned way back in Class II. While 37 percent of children in Class VII were found learning simpledivision sums which they should have learned in ClassII. These results are not surprising given the shockingdropout rates of about 90 per cent among the Dalitchildren. Even if they complete their school withoutmuch learning, they have no chance of competing inhigher education or in the job market with their peersfrom privileged sections.

Quality Education - a Global ConnectThe DEC schools have grown not just in terms ofnumbers but also in terms of quality. Just as the Dalitliberation movement benefits from globalisation, weneed to make sure that Dalit students are able tocompete in an increasingly globalised Indian market -even to travel abroad and succeed.

The DEC teacher training initiative is gainingmomentum. During the last two years, DEC hasorganised several teachers training programmes incollaboration with other partners from the UnitedStates, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.Most of these schools have now been recognised by therespective state governments. They also make sure thatstudents see the big picture. The Dalit movement hasbenefitted from global connections in the last few years.Dalits struggling in one village no longer feel that theyare isolated.

Similarly the world has started to understand the Dalitplight after India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan

Singh commented in December 2006 that the onlyhistorical parallel to untouchability is apartheid inSouth Africa. The United Nations had specialinvestigators research “work and descent-baseddiscrimination”. Both the European Union and theParliaments in the United States and Britain havepassed legislation in the last three years callingattention to caste-based discrimination.

Each Dalit Education Centre is actively involved innurturing the hopes of the marginalized community –from oppression to liberation, from dehumanization toself-respect and dignity, and from abject poverty tofinancial sustenance. The children in these communitiesnow dare to dream big. It is a matter of pride that thesechildren, equipped with the power of knowledge andcharacter, are in the process of ushering in a formidablechange in their families and communities.

Education for Dalit Communities - ChallengesThere are many challenges ahead of the nation whentalking about Dalit education. Within the communitythemselves they do not encourage education of girlsespecially. Migration of poor Dalit families to urbanareas in search of better livelihood opportunities is alsoanother factor which hampers education of Dalitchildren. With increase in privatization of education thegood schools are located in urban areas and so it isdifficult for the poor to access them. Even if thefamilies settle in urban areas they often reside in theperipheries making it impossible for their children toaccess the good schools if at all they could afford it.They only have the option to send their children inGovernment schools which are poorly maintained.

Added to this is another problem which the Dalitchildren often face - an inferiority complex within themas teachers themselves reinforced that feeling.

Though various political parties keeppromising free education for everyone fromtime to time, the reality has not changed forthe Dalits and the marginalized. Thegovernment schools that offer free educationare actually turning out to be free - minus anylearning!


Teachers’ attitude towards the students is an importantfactor for the students to freely learn and perform wellin studies. Teachers also consider them as incapable andless competent to the children of the other higher castes.Therefore, it is a sad fact that many poor Dalits in Indiastill do not reap the benefits of a globalised developingIndia. The challenge before us is how accommodativewe are to really empower the Dalits who have beensuffering ill-treatment since many years back.

It is not uncommon for Dalits as well as those whowork for their liberation to be subjected to inhumanattacks, as happened in Kandhamal district of Orissa in2008. In fact, a study done for an economic andpolitical weekly magazine a few years ago showed thatmore attacks on Dalits occur in districts where they dobetter economically. The Kandhamal attacks actuallystarted in late 2007 with arson of Dalit businesses, nothomes!

Hope for the FutureThe Dalit community has found a new attitude of‘strive to progress’ in recent years. We are part of thischange and acknowledge that many other individualsand organisations have come before and, hopefully, willcome after! Opposition for the schools run by the DECfrom the radical upper castes is foreseen. But the DECsresolved and committed themselves to bring in changeand emancipation in the lives of their Dalit-Bahujanbrothers and sisters. Here is a moving story, fortestimonies often triumph over statistics.

Nagappa Karepa Betti, who comes from a Dalit family, isstudying in grade-1 of Ghataprabha School in Karnataka.His house is five km away from the school. The majority ofthe population in his village is Dalit. One year ago, thestaff of the school met his father while they werecanvassing for the new school. The parents were veryhesitant to send their son, as it was far away and they werevery poor. As the staff members were determined, they wentto meet the parents once again. It was then they came toknow that Nagappa was kept as a bonded labourer at avillage nearby.

Nagappa’s father had taken Rs 2500/- loan from a high-caste man for the treatment of his mother when she was ill.The agreement between them was that Nagappa would workas a bonded labourer for one year. The staff rushed to themoneylender’s house, questioned him about the practiceand even threatened to file a suit. He retorted bysaying,“The parents have no problem; so what is yourproblem?”

Still the staff members did not give up. They went to himonce again along with a local Dalit leader. Themoneylender remained adamant. Around 50 local peoplegathered to watch the scene. Finally when the distraughtfather agreed to repay the loan in instalments, themoneylender let Nagappa go. Yes, their persistence reallypaid off!

The DEC school staff members started interacting with thefamily regularly. Slowly they started to trust them. Nowthere are 40 children coming to attend school fromNagappa’s village. Nagappa excels in his studies, as he gotfirst rank in the class and the best student award last year.In one of the recent parent-teachers’ meeting, Nagappa’sparents apologised publicly for pushing Nagappa intobonded labour. “We were ignorant about these things. Thisis a normal practice in our community and we did not takeit seriously until you came to us. Thank you forenlightening us”. They then gifted clothes to the manageras a token of their appreciation. Indeed, it was a token offreedom!

ConclusionEven 60 years after the Dalits gained equal status underthe law their situation has not changed significantly.They still remain the lowest of the low. But this canchange through quality education.

Perhaps for the first time in their lives, these Dalitchildren experience something new – being treated asprecious human beings with limitless potential. Theyare learning that it is right to have big dreams andaspire beyond the limits imposed externally. This is thegift that the DEC schools give to these children as thiswill not transform the lives of these children only buteventually the entire nation. India can become not onlyan economic superpower, but also a cultural and moralsuperpower that can influence the world!

(Albert Lael works in Operation Mercy India Foundation as the National Director and is based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh)


“Compared to China, India has a much strongerand self-sufficient skill base... India is truly thepowerhouse of the future.” Michael Maedel,President, JWT Worldwide

Nandan Nilekani in his book ‘Imagining India’ has saidthat the country has the right blend of huge naturalresources as well as entrepreneurial ability andtechnological know how to grow as a nation. However,only the provision of suitable infrastructure canenhance the productivity of this emerging manpower.His book further elucidate that education in India hasgained popular appeal but the state of our schools is farfrom satisfactory. The author feels that our response tothe situation will make all the difference between theworld’s largest community of illiterates and a countrywith a large pool of talent that can drive the economyto higher levels of growth. Our slums are the saddestsymptoms of our urban failures. Our cities havebecome a ground for the rise of the literate and middleclass who demand change and could also be thecountry’s biggest strength in meeting the challenge ofcity reforms. He recognizes the fact that governmentcannot do everything on its own to do justice to themass of population who thrive in these slums and ruralpopulation.

In order to facilitate the same, India is looking atvocational training as a means to bridge the lacunae inthe education systems where NGOs form a majorsupport structure to meet the gaps in infrastructure.Deepalaya is one such organization which has beenoffering Vocational Trainings to the underprivileged

youth from slum communities of Delhi. The training isimparted in specialized skills and knowledge andinstilling social and political attitudes and behaviorpatterns essential for successful economic activities bypeople engaged in dependent employment, self-employment or subsistence work.

About DeepalayaDeepalaya is a non government organization working onthe developmental issues, with special focus on children.The underlying belief governing the existence of theorganization is ‘Every Child deserves a chance’- whichalso forms the key to the organization’s objectives.

Deepalaya Vocational Training ProgrammeThe organization runs one of its skill programmes fromPanchsheel Park located in the midst of a slumlocation. Its aim is to teach poor slum youth andunemployed relevant skills to become self employed orget a skilled job. Deepalaya has not limited itself to justtechnical skills in the field of Beauty Culture, DressDesigning, Computer Hardware and software, AirConditioning and refrigeration, Electronic &Communication & Electricals but it also ensuresoverall growth and development of the candidates byintroducing from time to time life skill component in itstraining programmes.

The BeginningDeepalaya first got into vocational training as a demandthat originated from the community back in the 1980swhen the organization started its initiatives in smallerformats as community based sewing and tailoring

Role of Skill-based or Vocational Training on Education:Case Study of Deepalaya Vocational Training Schools

Sudha Parthasarathy

Photo: T. Baite


training centers, typewriting classes and later as thetimes changed, computer classes.

Deepalaya had always realized the need to usevocational training as an integral part of making anysociety self reliant and in that attempt it alsoimplemented the idea of integrated education wherechildren received in addition to academics, vocationaltraining, avenues for latent talent development andvalue education to develop a child as a completeindependent individual.

As time progressed Deepalaya realized the need toaddress the youth of the community in a morestructured manner and it launched a full fledgedtraining centre which catered to slum communities ofDelhi and rural communities of Haryana.

The ApproachDeepalaya had always believed in the approach ofreaching out to the poorest of the poor and making aprogramme for their benefit. The target group identifiedby Deepalaya for running this programme was youthwho were non students who had either been school dropouts or were tenth or twelfth pass from slum locations/

rural population. The aim was to impart vocationaleducation so as to enable them to be economicallyindependent citizens of society.

Deepalaya’s policy of ‘nothing for free’ also helped thestudents who were enrolled to be a more responsiblepart of the training and education process. The nominalfees charged by the organization, helped maintain thespirit of ownership both in the organization and thebeneficiaries.

It was also realized that no training would be enoughuntil it was recognized by a registered body which ledDeepalaya to get itself affiliated with the government ofIndia through Jan Shikshan Kendra (a governmentbody) and certification for the vocational course is donethrough PRAYAS, New Delhi.

The PedagogyDeepalaya ensure that the instructors hired forimparting the training are well trained. They imparttraining which is not just limited to the course contentbut also have the component of industry exposuresthrough visits to companies, factory units and alsointernship for six months in the respective field oflearning. The curriculum so designed is updated on an

ongoing basis as per the industryrequirement to enable the student to beadept with the latest technologies in themarkets.

The USP of the programmeDeepalaya’s model of VocationalTraining is a unique set of competenciesand innovations to suit the need of thecommunities. From the role of trainers,the monitoring and administration ofcourses, Deepalaya offers a combinationof unique advantages to the studentswho enrole for these courses asmentioned in Figure 1.

In addition to the services provided byDeepalaya, the organization also hasformed an advisory board for thepromotion of vocational training courseswith like minded individuals and groupswhich is essentially responsible fordoing the assessment of the trainingcourse. They also discuss about the

DeepalayaModel forVocationalTraining

Promotion ofLife Skills

Provision ofPlacements

Flexible &demand oriented

curriculum

AddressingMarket

EntrepreneushipUsing targetgroups

responsivetraining

Networking &Cooperation with

stakeholder

Responding thedemand of skill

training

Flexible entrycriteria

RaisingEntrepreneurCompetency

Provision forTOT

Figure 1


change if any in curriculum through consultativeprocess and work out strategy for the placement. Alsoas a step to facilitate the entrepreneurial ability,Deepalaya has also formed Self Help Groups of thetrainees with an aim to initiate self employment aftersuccessful completion of the vocational courses.

Testimonials of Success of our programmesDeepalaya Model of vocational training has seen manymilestones over the past few years. In terms of growth ofenrolment, placements and reviews from stakeholdersand media, Deepalaya has come a long way indeveloping itself. India Today Group got in touch withDeepalaya to recruit youngsters for their marketing andsales divisions of their new newspaper “The Today”.Chetan was a student of vocational training and was

pursuing a one year diploma in software technologyfrom Deepalaya. He had to go through four rounds ofrigorous interviews before the final selection. Chetan iscurrently placed as the supervisor for the sales attraffic junction, and one to one interaction with theshopkeepers form a major part of his work profile. “Iwas desperate for a job. The financial condition of myfamily was not good and I wanted to help my brothersin running the household”, says Chetan. He lives withhis two older brothers and wanted to be an independentand responsible member of his home. Deepalayahelped him do just that. Through the training inDeepalaya he was not only helped with his technicalknowhow, but with rounds of mock interviews andpersonality development exercises, he was able tocrack the rigorous interviews of a known brand.

(Sudha Parthasarathy is the Executive Director of Deepalaya)

M a l a ’ sM a l a ’ sM a l a ’ sM a l a ’ sM a l a ’ s s t o r y s t o r y s t o r y s t o r y s t o r y

“Papa, I want to go to school”, demanded seven year old Mala to her father.

Mala’s father is a washerman who washes and irons clothes for families in a posh colony in Delhi. She is

the fourth child among six siblings. Mala spends most of her time in the shack where they live located in

a corner of the colony. Her mother is very unhealthy and often falls sick. So Mala has to take care of her

seven month old younger brother as well. Instead of going to school like her contemporaries in the

neighbourhood, she spends most of her time helping her mother in cooking or taking care of her younger

brother. Had her family been slightly better off like those of her friends around the neighbourhood she

would have been in class II (two) by now. She is already over aged to even begin school. But like most kids,

she also has a desire to attend school. Seeing children being picked up and dropped by their school vans or

buses daily makes the idea of going to school very exciting for Mala and that’s why she had asked her

parents many times to send her to school.

Mala’s family of eight had been living with her father’s minimal income from hard labour which barely

supported their needs. Her two older sisters work as domestic helpers in the homes of neighbouring colonies

to supplement the family income and meet their mother’s medical bills. So, the question of Mala attending

school seems irrelevant for this poor family.

This is the situation of many of our children in the cities. Though the Gross Enrolment Ratios of children

may be as high as 114.6% in 2005 in the primary level, there are many children like Mala who are over

aged. Even if she starts school it would be from scratch and she is too old for her age to start nursery class.

According to the District Information System for Education (DISE) data, the ratios of over-aged children

in the schools in Delhi (pupils’ completed age calculated as on the mid-school year, i.e. the end of September)

was 7.9% and 12.23% respectively at primary and upper primary school levels (Mehta, 2008). And this is

not a small percentage that can be easily ignored.

Thankfully there are NGOs who change the sad story into a promising one by admitting children like

Mala in Government schools and bring change in their lives. How about us? Are we vigilant to check for

Malas near our house to bring in transformation in their lives?

(Story By Joan)


BOOK REVIEWGreg Mortenson, Stones into Schools: Promoting Peacewith Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan,Viking, Penguin Group, England 2009

The book under review is a sequel to Three Cups of Teaan inspiring book which sold 3 million copies. It is thestory of how schools were set up and the challengesfaced in running schools in this part of the worlddescribed by the author Greg Mortenson as “The LastBest Place” on earth. This last best place is one of theremote corners of eastern Afghanistan where gettingeducation is a distant dream for the children. There areno schools in most of the villages surrounding MountKarakoram. It was when Mortenson met with anaccident while scaling Mount K2 that his career focuschanged completely. He stumbled by chance upon thepoor villages of Korphe. After being nursed back tohealth by the locals, he could see the bare facts childrenhere faced. Seeing how 82 children scratched theirlessons with sticks in the soil, he made a strong resolve– despite the fact that 9/11 happened – to promotefemale literacy there. So he promised to return andbuild schools for the children. This is the premise ofwhat follows his humanitarian effort in educating girlsespecially. His passion for educating girls has led to thebuilding of 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan,often against daunting odds and amidst considerabledanger.

Mortenson began his work through the Central AsiaInstitute (CAI) which is based in the U.S. to appeal fordonations for the cause of building schools inAfghanistan and remote Pakistani borders. Mortensondescribes the girls here who came out of their way toattend schools set up by him and moving ahead in lifeas the ‘first ascents’. He says that the ‘first ascents’make far more dramatic and impressive achievementsthan the western climbers such as Mortenson himself oreven the first mountaineer Aleister Crowley who scaledK2 in 1902. Calling young women “the single biggestpotential agents of change in the developing world,” hedescribes this phenomenon as “the Girl Effect.” Itechoes an African proverb he often heard as a childgrowing up in Tanzania: “If you educate a boy, youeducate an individual; but if you educate a girl, youeducate a community.” He adds, “No other factor even

comes close to matching the cascade of positivechanges triggered by teaching a single girl how to readand write”. In such societies like these poor Muslims,the impact of female literacy is notably high with thegood number of young girls taking up vocations tosupport themselves and their families. That is why girls’education is described as ‘force multiplier’.

Sadhar Khan was one of the most importantcommanders during the Afghan Soviet wars during1979-1989. He is one of the influential persons in thevillages where Mortenson and Sarfraz Khan (who wasMortenson’s aide) intended to operate. Sadhar Khan’spermission to venture in and out of the Afghani villageswas one of the crucial steps for Mortenson and SarfrazKhan while trying to set up schools in Afghanistan. Aformer mujahideen who had emerged from thesavageries of the Soviet occupation and the atrocities ofwar against the Taliban, Safraz Khan is a faithfulassistant to Mortenson who has a deep passion foreducation especially of girls.

Most of the ventures around the mountainousvillages of Afghanistan focused on how Mortensonand Sarfraz Khan spend time with the local eldersand the villagers while mobilizing and helping themon how to get started about this process of setting upschools. Mortenson tried to make link with thecommunity by mimicking even the mannerism of hisfaithful aide while interacting with the community.He says that in order to reach the heart of acommunity you need to listen to them with humilityand build relationships with every section of thecommunity whether they are Islamic clerics, militarycommanders or tribal leaders.


Mortenson takes us through a very detailed descriptionabout people, places or disasters like the earthquakewhich happened in Pakistan and the Operation Khanjarwhich was an offensive attack carried out by the U.S.Marines against the Afghan soldiers in 2009 inHelmand valley which had a Taliban stronghold andwhere over half of the opium produced in Afghanistanis grown. Sarfraz and others faced a formidableopponent from the Taliban who out of hatred for girls’education, destroyed many schools. Two ofMortenson’s own schools were affected. He carries onthe good work undaunted by such threats. For hishumanitarian work, he has received the ‘Sitara-i-Pakistan’ or Star of Pakistan award, one of thecountry’s highest civil awards. His inspiration is drawnfrom the idea that the American military hadincorporated in the Middle East or Central Asia inwhich cultural education was incorporated into itsstrategic doctrines.

Mortenson considers his efforts noteworthy as childrenhere feel safe and find comfort in a classroom whichmay even have only a desk. This he referred to as“Operation School desk” which is an effort to retrievefrom the remains of broken furniture to built tentschools with desks in areas such as Balakot andMuzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir area. This effortoffered certitude and a degree of order, stability andnormalcy in the minds of the poor children living hereeven though they lived in a traumatized world where

(Reviewed by Joan Lalromawi, Programme Coordinator, EFICOR)

everything had been turned upside down and the grounditself had given away. Mortenson’s learning curve alsoincludes the realization that his deep interest in femaleeducation was not just restricted to school buildings,but also to help the girls learn other skills such as –weaving, embroidery and other domestic crafts.

Sarfraz Khan’s strategy of importing skilled craftsmenfrom Pakistan into the Wakhan corridor in Afghanistanwas commendable as there were hardly any skilledcraftsmen in the Afghan villages as people have beenbusying themselves in the affairs of war for almost 30years in Afghanistan.

In conclusion, the good work done by Mortensonthrough the Central Asia Institute (CAI) among thepeople of Afghanistan and Pakistani border areas whichis setting up schools or in other words turning thedamaged stones of these areas into constructionmaterials for school building and providing educationespecially for the girls is quite commendable. This greatwork has transformed the community which was verybackward in terms of education, socio-economic andpolitical life and in almost every aspect of life. Thus theCAI’s most important contribution is that it has beenable to bring a better perspective in the minds of thecommunities as they work with dedication and withoutany partiality towards a particular community on thebasis of religion, tribe or politics while working fortheir development.

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Interview with Dr. V.K. WilliamsPrincipal, Mount Carmel School, Anand Niketan, New Delhi

(DTK - DrishtikoneVKW - Dr. V.K. Williams)

DTK - How long have you been involved in the field ofeducation? And what is your definition of education?VKW - I have been involved in the field of education forthe past 50 years, from 1961. According to me, Educationis a tool which helps a child to grow in four developmentaldirections – physical, mental/emotional, spiritual andsocial development.

DTK - How is your definition shaped by a Biblicalunderstanding?VKW - The Bible says in Luke 2:52 that “….Jesusincreased in wisdom and in favour with God and men”.Increase in wisdom impacts all the four aspects namely –physical, mental/emotional, spiritual and socialdevelopment. So education would mean to give that kind ofinformation, knowledge and skills which will increase thewisdom of men to be able to change the environment.

DTK - How does one have a Biblical perspective oneducation?VKW- To have a biblical perspective on education, first ofall human beings should know who God is. This isexplained in the whole of Bible. God is more concernedabout eternity and education should provide the way tounderstand eternity and the way to reach that.

DTK - Is there a difference between a Biblicalperspective and other perspectives of education? Are notall educational perspective aimed at a common objective?VKW - Education is not just leading to literacy, gettingdegree or higher pay packets. It should lead tounderstanding life and its values and leading tobehavioural changes. This is what the Bible teaches. As forme unless education conforms to the perspective of theBible which teaches the wholeness of life they will have notrue education.

DTK - Christians have been in the forefront ofeducation for centuries. What was the driving ambitionof such Christian missionary efforts in education?VKW - The driving ambition of Christian missionaries hasalways been to give gospel in its fullness which gives lifeto all of us. Hudson Taylor went to China, William Careycame to India and their objective has been to bring invalues which are biblical based but questioned the customsand practices of that day.

DTK - And has the purpose of Christian educationalinstitutions changed in recent years?VKW - It has changed absolutely! We have turned awayfrom the Bible which teaches the values for humanbehaviour. Many mission schools and hospitals have takenaway the name of Jesus which is central in teaching values.We have also moved away from providing education for thepoor.

DTK - What makes a Christian school ‘Christian’? Is itthe Christian subjects? Or subjects taught from aChristian framework? Or teachers who are Christian?Or that it is focused on the people in the margins? Or isit Christian activities – like chapel, prayers, etc?VKW - All these characteristics that we are talking aboutlike Christian subjects, Christian teachers, and Christianactivities or focusing on people on the margins are merelyforms of godliness. Whether it is about chapel, teaching thebible or Christian ethics – they manifest the power of God.So we should exalt the Lord Jesus Christ at each step ofteaching.

DTK - Often Christian schools and colleges have anuphill task to be faithful to their call, especially in achanging environment, what keeps you going? Whatinner resources do you rely on to keep persevering?VKW - I am not very pleased with what all Christianinstitutions are doing nor agreeable with their visionbecause they are not lifting the name of the Lord JesusChrist. What keeps me going is that the living LordJesus Christ himself who has said that “We are co-workersin God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building” (ICor. 3:9). Therefore, I am a mere instrument of God inbuilding up God’s children. I know that the Lord is withme for I can rely on the inner resources which I have liketruthfulness and honesty and this keeps me going despitethe many challenges which come in my way.

(As interviewed by Joan)


Bible Study

On Rights and Education

The Right to Education Bill brings to focus two verysignificant issues, one the question of rights and theother the cause of education. While we need to defendchildren’s right to education which holds the key fortheir life we should also re-examine the kind ofeducation imparted in our schools beginning with eliteurban schools right down to the schools in our remotevillages.

Defending the cause of those whose rights are violatedis a recurring theme in the Scriptures (Proverbs 31:8-9,Psalms 82:3, Isaiah 1:17). To defend, to act, and tospeak on their behalf is a call that comes uniformly toall of us. When judgments were pronounced on variousnations, God often held it against them that they failedto defend the rights of the poor, marginalized,fatherless, orphan, aliens, widow and those who wereexploited and not given their due (Jeremiah 5:28, Isaiah1:23, Amos 2:6-7). When children are not given theeducation are we not depriving them of their very rightto life where adequate education and training holds thekey to their future? Defending the right to education forchildren or ensuring that they receive education is tostand up for the rights of a vulnerable section who arevoiceless.

Reflect�What does God want us to do in promoting right

to education?�How can we be involved in ensuring that in our

context the right of children to education isactualized?

“An educational system isn’t worth a great deal if itteaches young people how to make a living but doesn’tteach them how to make a life” goes an insightful adageexemplifying the higher purpose of education which isoften limited to jobs. For those of us who live in Delhi,instances of road rage have become a common thing.The parties involved are mostly the rich, who are wellqualified and significantly positioned in life. Years oflearning and education failed to educate them aright forlife. What of our scams and cases of corruption which

involve not just the politicians but even high rankingbureaucrats who have arrived at their position with arigorous series of exams that might have involved severalyears of disciplined learning and effort. But learningbereft of values and principles, which should haveotherwise been the beacon for their public life, seems tobe the crux of the problem. Another significant problemfound mostly in government run schools particularly inrural areas is Teacher-absenteeism. Teachers who are onpayrolls but who hardly make an appearance to do theirjob. What education can they impart when they areunethical and have a very low moral quotient?

Reflect�Teaching principles and values has significant

emphasis in the Scriptures while there is verylittle mention about knowledge and skills. Howcan we combine education and imparting valuesso that principles are not compromised whilepursuing excellence?

In all of God’s dealing with children of Israel weconstantly notice God’s insistence on parentscommunicating God’s acts to their children and to thegenerations to come. Here we also see an indirectinstitution of education being established by God throughthe right of children to be educated which was to ensurethat the generations to come will understand their Godand how he intervenes in history and in their lives(Exodus 10:1-2, Exodus 13:8, Deuteronomy 4:9-10, 6:7-9, Psalm 78:5-7). The objective was to establishcontinuity in knowing God, remembering his acts withgratitude and having knowledge which was to ensurethey live aright. There were other instances of peoplebeing required to celebrate festivals commemoratingGod’s intervention in their history. They were meantagain to raise the curiosity of their children on theintention behind this expressed behaviour (Exodus 12:24-27, Deuteronomy 6:20). The Israelites were to live inways that will cause their children to ask questions.Responses to which will be evidence of God’s love andfaithfulness and a compelling reason to continuefollowing God.

Dr. Bonnie Miriam Jacob


(Dr. Bonnie Miriam Jacob works in EFICOR as the Manager – Research & Academic Programmes)

Reflect�Read Psalm 34:11-14, Proverbs 1:2-7, Proverbs

9:9-11, Ephesians 6:4. What would be someways in which the disconnect between the callof the scriptures and the modern day focus ofeducation be addressed?

The book of Proverbs has extensive references aboutteaching, training and instructing children and others.The primary focus is the call to acquire wisdom toguide and direct them in their complete walk of life.Jesus was also constantly teaching in various ways.Communicating and instructing values and principles ofthe kingdom pointing to the significance of educationby his teaching since there can be no education withoutteaching.

Reflect�What is the expressed intention of teaching and

learning as is found in Proverbs?�What lessons can be drawn from Proverbs and

the life of Jesus as we encounter a nation wherethe significance of education is waning asagainst making people literate?

May we continue to ponder on the crucial issue of rightto education in our own contexts seeking to address themissing link while we focus on education in ourdifferent contexts.

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