Skip to main content

Shala praveshotsav myth explodes in Gujarat’s backward Little Rann of Kutch

By Rajiv Shah 
The state-sponsored child enrollment drive, shala praveshotsav, stressed on enrolling children from the backward sections in Gujarat. Interview with a few social workers suggests how it would have no lasting impact on educating kids belonging to the backward rural areas surrounding the Little Rann of Kutch.
Even as the din around the three-day state-sponsored shala praveshotsav, which has claimed cent per cent enrolment at the primary level in Gujarat, is starting to fade, questions are being raised on how to retain those who have been enrolled. A case in point is enrollment of children during the festival in the rural areas that surround the Little Rann of Kutch. The praveshotsav took place in all the 108 villages that border the Little Rann. Helped by community based organizations and voluntary agencies, nearly all village children were, indeed, “enrolled”. But, apparently, this appears to the end of the roadmap for these small kids. Already, the view is getting strong that most of these children “would not be able to continue schooling”, as the agariya season begins. Around 14,000 saltpan workers, along with their families, including kids, would move deep into the Little Rann of Kutch to produce salt in September, and this would bring about a grinding halt to the children’s education, too.

The issue is not new, though today it acquires relevance in the context of implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, under which the government is obliged to provide every child primary school education up to the eighth standard. Implemented late in Gujarat, in February 2012, indifference towards RTE is nowhere more visible than vis-à-vis the agariya children. An experiment which began several years ago – under which Rann Shalas as extensions of the regular schools would operate to take care of education of the kids who moved to the Little Rann – has come to a grinding halt. While lower primary children would get regular schooling in these Rann Shalas, village hostels began to operate for children to go to schools at the upper primary level. This was somewhat successful, especially in the Rann area next to Surendranagar district. However, local social workers confirm, the experiment, though remaining on paper, is “as good as dead”. 
In fact, an endless effort has begun to pass the buck on who should do the job of providing education to the children who move with their parents deep in the Little Rann. Says Ghanshyam Zula of the Agariya Hit Rakshak Manch (AHRM), “In September, hundreds of children from villages in Santalpur area in Patan district and Adesar area of Kutch district, where I work, will start arriving with their parents in the Little Rann to start producing salt, their only means of livelihood. These children will remain with their parents in the Little Rann till April, till salt is produced and sold to unscrupulous traders. These children, already admitted in different village schools, will be at the mercy of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)-run extremely poor quality make-shift schools, where 10th the 12th pass Bal Mitras are made to teach them. While at most places even they are quite erratic, these Bal Mitras’ main job is to bring dropped out children back to the mainstream, yet they are made to teach agariya children, who are already enrolled. With no ability to teach, and poorly paid, Bal Mitras provide these children with virtually no education.”
Things are not very different in other parts surrounding the Little Rann. Another social worker, Marutsinh Baraiya, who works in Malia region bordering the Little Rann, says, “It is the job of the government official, district education officer (DEO), to ensure that children are mainstreamed into schooling when they reach the Little Rann with their parents. However, instead of providing regular teachers, the DEO says, it should be the job of the SSA, a Central government scheme to fight school dropout, to run schools. The government puts most of the children in the school dropout category, which is incorrect. The SSA, on its part, provides Bal Mitras instead of regular teachers, and says that in case non-government organizations come forward to do the education job, they would be ready to help out with funds. We think, under the RTE, you just cannot evade giving education to children like this.” He adds, “What is even more disconcerting is the fact that the government has not cared to carry out any survey about the plight of these children.”
A third social worker, Bharat Samera, who works in the Surendranagar region, points towards the way the officialdom neglects education for the children of the Little Rann. “Each make-shift school, where the Bal Mitras come to teach, are sanctioned Rs 30,000 for six months. Out of this, Rs 18,000 go to the Bal Mitras, who stay in the vicinity to teach the children, while the rest goes for the upkeep of these so-called schools. One can well imagine what can be done with such pittance. Worse, while regular schools provide midday meal, the agariya children in the Little Rann are are deprived of it. The SSA officials say, it is not their job to provide midday meal to children, while the regular school system is refusing to enter the area. At some places, chiki (sweet) and biscuits are distributed in lieu of regular meal. Obviously, you cannot make children survive on such items for the whole day.” Samera adds, ”Often these makeshift schools start very late, as late as December, and wind up in April. One can well imagine what would happen to education to the children in this duration.”
Pankti Jog, a senior activist with the Ahmedabad-based NGO, Janpath, who has been working with saltpan workers for long, says, the entire agariya community faces neglect, whether it is education or health. She says, “It is not just education. Womenfolk, including pregnant women, of nearly 14,000 agariya families are refused any healthcare in the entire area. The Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), under which infants should be provided with all the basic healthcare facilities free of cost, including vaccines, does exist not for them. In fact, there is no facility for vaccination. There are no anganwadis. The children grow up as malnourished kids, and have little or no option to diversify into other occupations once they age. The vicious cycle, of becoming agariyas, awaits them. The government appears least concerned either with their education or health.”
Meanwhile, as the table here suggests, wide prevalent of illiteracy would mean that the agaraiyas are simply incapable of tackling their backwardness in which they are mired.

Comments

TRENDING

Abrogation of Art 370: Increasing alienation, relentless repression, simmering conflict

One year after the abrogation by the Central Government of Art. 370 in Kashmir, what is the situation in the Valley. Have the promises of peace, normalcy and development been realised? What is the current status in the Valley? Here is a detailed note by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties , “Jammu & Kashmir: One Year after Abrogation of Art. 370: Increasing Alienation, Relentless Repression, Simmering Conflict”:

Repeated failure to appoint Chief, other commissioners undermining RTI Act

By Anjali Bhardwaj, Amrita Johri* The post of the Chief Information Commissioner of the Central Information Commission (CIC) has fallen vacant with the retirement of Bimal Julka with effect from August 27, 2020. This is the fifth time in the last six years that the Commission has been rendered headless. Four posts of information commissioners are also vacant in the CIC. Currently more than 35,000 appeals and complaints are pending in the commission resulting in citizens having to wait for months, even years for their cases to be disposed, thereby frustrating peoples’ right to know. Since May 2014, not a single commissioner of the CIC has been appointed without citizens having to approach courts. The failure of the government to make timely appointments of commissioners is a flagrant violation of the directions of the Supreme Court. In its February 2019 judgment, the apex court had categorically stated that if the CIC does not have a Chief Information Commissioner or required strength

Sunil Gavaskar, G Viswanath rated Andy Roberts best fast bowler they ever faced

By Harsh Thakor  The West Indies pace quartet or battery of the 1970’s and 1980’s truck terror to deliver a knockout punch, like never in cricket history. One was reminded of bomber raiding an airbase or a combing operation. Andy Roberts was the pioneer in orchestrating or propelling the most fiery and lethal pace bowling attack ever in the history of the game. Simply the godfather of Modern West Indies fast bowlers. He spearheaded the pack from the mid 1970’s .Without Andy the talent of Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft would never have blossomed.Michael Holding credits Andy for shaping his great bowling career, by infusing vital elements.

Adivasi land rights question in Telugu states: Digitization process without transparency?

By Dr Palla Trinadha Rao  This paper examines whether the Land Records Modernization Program initiated by the successive governments in Telugu States is beneficial to tribals in the Scheduled Areas in the light of special protective Land laws that are in force there. Digitization process or regularization of land records or land surveys without transparency will result in disempowerment of Adivasis. This can be tested in the case of Adivasis in the Scheduled Areas of Telugu States. British colonialism, through its land revenue policy and elaborate exploitative bureaucratic structure, made land alienable on a large scale especially in tribal areas. 1 Land and the forest produce remain the main source of tribals’ livelihood; but availability of land is restricted by forest reservation on the one hand, and non-tribal encroachment on the other. 2 In the Andhra Area, there were certain laws including the Agency Tracts Interest and Land Transfer Act, 1917 that existed before the inaugurati

Ultimate champion in crisis, arguably best ever skipper: Created history in Aussie cricket

By Harsh Thakor  In the history of cricket few cricketers knit and propelled a cricket team or had such profound influence on the game as Ian Chappell. Ian Chappell was responsible for converting a bunch of talented individuals into a world beating side, giving a dramatic turn to Australian cricket. Few cricketers ever led such a renaissance.

Largest democracy in world has become weakest at hands of fascist Hindutva forces

Note on “The Nazification of India”, a report released By Justice For All: *** This report, the Nazification of India, compares how Hindutva ideology not only is inspired by Nazis and Fascists of Europe, but their treatment of the Muslim minority closely follows developments that resulted in pushing Jews to the gas chambers. Situation is indeed quite alarming. The report says that the largest democracy in the world has become the weakest at the hands of the fascist Hindutva ideology. India today is ruled not just by a political party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but its mother organization the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Because the BJP’s government policies are linked to extra-legal enforcement by RSS paramilitary street power, this report has coined the term “The BJP-RSS regime” to reflect their intrinsic links and collaborative relationship. The Nazification of India report marks the anniversary of the Gujarat pogroms of 2002 against Muslims which propelled the BJP-RSS

BSF's unconstitutional, whimsical order violates life, livelihood of Dalits, minorities

Kirity Roy, Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), writes to the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission: *** I want to attract your attention towards the illegitimate restrictions on the life and livelihood of the villagers of Paschim Sahebganj village under Dinhata - II Block and Sahebganj police station in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal by the Border Security Force personnel attached with Dharala Border Out Post under 138 Battalion BSF. The population of Paschim Sahebganj village is around 1480, where almost 75 percent of the villagers belong from Hindu Scheduled Caste (Dalit) and 25 percent from minority Muslim backgrounds.The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. About 260 acres of cultivable land in the village that belongs to the villagers is located outside the border fencing, which is heavily guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF). The BSF regulates the ingress and egress of the villagers to their fields through the fencing gates that a

Varanasi social worker who has devoted her life for the ultra-poor and the marginalized

Passion Vista and its partners profile Founder and Managing Trustee Shruti Nagvanshi as  someone whom women leaders look up to: *** Shruti Nagvanshi, a social worker and human rights activist based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, has devoted her life to reaching out to the ultra-poor and marginalized communities in India. Born in Dashashwmedh, Varanasi on 2 January 1974, she married Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi on 22 February 1992 and has a son, Kabeer Karunik, a Business management Graduate who is also a national level snooker player.

An approach to lake/pond restoration by Ramveer Tanvar, Pond Man of India

By Monami Bhattacharya*, Mansee Bal Bhargava**  Lakes/ ponds are often referred to as an elixir of life, a living ecosystem that adds incremental value to the larger biota. Across the tropical landscape of the country lakes/ ponds are a common sight. Lakes/ponds have always shaped the life and livelihood of those dwelling in and around it. The dependence of the local population on these natural resources of water is noticeable since time immemorial. However, they are fading fast in both rural and urbanscapes from the popular parlance with the advance of humanity. It has been a popular notion to value land more than the waterscape and hence these nurturers of life are under stress in several areas. In many instances, these once beautiful waterscapes referred as the ‘Eye of the Earth’ are mostly now only dilapidated garbage dump yards emitting foul smell with no sign of a healthy ecosystem.

Urban crisis: Impact of erosion of democratic framework on Indian cities

By IMPRI Team  On 13th February, 2023, IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi in collaboration with ActionAid Association India arranged a book launch followed by lecture series under the title “India’s G20 Presidency & the Urban Agenda for the Developing Countries”. The event was held in Indian International Centre (IIC) Annex, New Delhi. The event began with the book inauguration session, under the honorary presence of Mr Sitaram Yechury, former Rajya Sabha member and General Secretary, CPI (M), accompanied by Mr Sandeep Chachra, executive director, ActionAid Association India. Session 1 | Book Launch: ‘Cities in Transition’ by Mr Tikender Singh Panwar The book launched was “Cities in Transition”, written by Mr Tikender Singh Panwar, former Deputy Mayor, Shimla and a Senior Fellow at IMPRI. Beginning with brief remarks on his book, Mr Panwar outlined the basic subject matter and the purpose behind writing the book, which he considers as a by-product of his experien