A Free Zone for Education

From- Reading through “India Human Development Report 2011; Towards Social Inclusion”, I was drawn upon my recent experience of village people  during my  fieldwork engagement trip. What came uppermost in the mind as a researcher and a fellow villager is a reality of persisting poverty in the hill area villages. The common phrase 'the rich will grow richer and the poor poorer' is still sung loud and clear among the villages. It is evident that such areas are still far away from the reach of state development processes. Although, Human Development report (2011) as well as Economic Survey of Manipur (2009-2010) indicate a convergence of literacy rate across the ST, SC, Minorites and national literacy rate, on a deeper analysis, malnutrition is still a matter of grave concern. In a sense, inclusive development launched in 11th five year plan has little significance in such areas. 

An Imperative for Right to Education in the Hill Areas, Manipur

Setting my foot upon the village habitations, I encountered a total absence of  planned development system; or rather a prominent presence of a non-state system of power and corruption. The people are held hostaged to such system and poverty is thus an inherent outcome. I was inclined to asked whether the emerging leaders both state and non-state really understand priorities of development. However, it seems everything in the region goes in the name of politics; nation-state, nationalism and ethnonationalism. They provide a theoretical explanation for the situation. On a deeper observation, it seems the rich, powerful and dominant have taken over state system. Besides, there are numerous non-state organizations/individuals who claimed to be civil societies. Such a system survives on the development funds of the people. It is a commonly known fact among people that 'government contract work' is the main source of income. It is an emerging overarching state structure that defines people and development. In short, local system is at the mercy of larger system indicating a total absence of state system, democracy and governance. Thus, inclusive growth and development as professed in the planned economy suffers from lack of governance system in such a context. The welfare state system is absent in lived experience of the villagers that I visited. Such a situation confronts the theory that hill districts have tribal councils and village authorities as strong local bodies that would bring in good governance. In fact, hill districts councils have just dawn their mantle upon the hill region since 2010; a system revived after a gap of twenty years and more but still very much structureless. 

As a researcher with a grounding on social theory and strategy for peoples' empowerment, the neglected situation of villages is a matter that confronts me beyond my understanding. Every year I go home, I see the same old huts, thatched roof and mud floor homes. No electricity, no water, no road connectivity, no school building, no PHCs, the list is  endless. 

As of today, reaching upon the village premises one comes to observed the golden rice fields in the foothills and also on the slopes of mountains. These fields constitute the main occupation of people. If one goes deeper into the processes, it is seen that the mode of occupation has changed. Modern technology has set in. One can observe Kokoda and even few tractors with harvesting accessories. Such situation reveals that people with alteast two to four acres of cultivable land are moving towards modern methods  of cultivation. However, I observed that such emerging changes have become heavy financial burden to the people. In fact, for cultivating one 'pare' (2 and ½ acres), one has to spend approximately forty to fifty thousand rupees. This would be spent primarily on manure, tractor for ploughing and harvesting. This implies that land owners are caught in increasing financial burden. 

In all of these, what becomes most worrying is children's growth,  development and education. It is a calculated assumption of people and the country that education is the most important sector for social development. However, it is observed that in general  education system has been the domain of private schools implying financial burden. Such a situation also indicates a faulty strategy of the state plan. In fact, it can be inferred that the minimal focus of the government plan on the primary elementary education especially before the 1990s has deeply affected the mentality of people. It is seen that today inspite of the new policy focus given on elementary education, since 2001, village people still don't have faith on government schools. Such condition befits a critical analysis against the present state and national economic survey data. 

In reality, it is observed that a system of education is still vacant indicating that RTE cannot be implemented. Supposedly, Manipur state is one of the states which has taken proactive stance towards RTE and Right to Information (RTI). The SSA data Manipur section indicates that the state has made tremendous improvement on elementary education. However, in reality there is only an existence of a complex network of the bureaucratic structure, local powerful chiefs, local leaders, rich and underground organizations. In such a context, the recent education policy focus given in Manipur and recruitment of graduate teachers will have little effect. For instance, 'local bodies' in article no. 9 of the Right to Education Act (RTE) and the commission for child right although laid down in the rules to RTE still are yet to take off effectively. When it comes to infrastructure development of schools, School Management and Development Committee (SMDC), a committee of fourteen members, as policy has been constituted. However, at the ground reality, SMDC is functioning without a proper system support. What is most worrying to this system, is the position of the Chairman and Secretary of the committee in whose names the school bank account is to be opened. In practice, Chairman is the local disbursement officer at the school level. As a rule the school headmistress/headmaster is the chairman. He/she becomes directly accountable to the financial transactions, accountability and transparency under RTI. The secretary is to be appointed by the committee representing the parents. These office positions have come under criticism from the tribal chiefs in many villages as they would like to be a defacto local disbursement officers at the village level. Over and above, the chairman and secretary are responsible to the local leaders and the undergrounds who also demand a share of the fund coming for the infrastructure development of village schools. In fact of-the-record, it has been observed that atleast 50% of the fund goes to the bureaucratic offices of the education system, local leaders and underground groups. As observed, in the scheme for one room school building construction under SSA, one headmaster/headmistress of a village returned the money to the ZEO due to pressure of demand coming from outside organizations. Otherwise many schools are being constructed with low quality. As such, the school committee especially the chairman and secretary have become victim of the larger system. 

Besides, there is a serious system problem in education at the level of the primary and elementary education system. As a policy, elementary education (class I-VIII) is the responsibility of state (ZEO). However, this becomes a system issue (in hill area) when it comes to the interface between the ZEO and the council. For instance, district council, recently in function has the primary responsibility for primary education under the Council Act. The people usually know it as 'council schools'. The ZEO in the hill districts looks after the education system above class V. But in the recent times, a focus has come under RTE for free and compulsory elementary education covering age group between 6-14 (class 1-VIII). The SSA schemes is basically handled by the ZEO and runs across village schools. Therefore, ZEO has become more active in the RTE process covering the council schools. Such an emerging system creates a confrontation of systems within the hill areas; between council system and the zonal system. The system interface has not been spelt out in policy as well as in practice. 

Education for children is one of the most important fundamental rights which the state is still not in a position to give to the children with effectiveness even today. This can be inferred from the number of children enroled in governement schools. Many schools are non-functioning due to non enrolment of children inspite of government incentives, development of infrastructure and appointment of graduate teachers. Parents opt mainly for private schools. Good schooling is considered to be enrolment in private schools. This implies a heavy cost for the children education at the family level. Some parents who are able to afford send their children to private schools in the capital city. The child has to rent an accommodation or stay in a private hostel. As a matter of fact, most of the income of the parents go in school education. In such a condition, it is further observed that the parents through hard labour are able to support the child to go to private schools but slowly decline to financial problem. As year go by their ability to earn and support the children also decline. At the same time, the cost of education increases persistently. In such a situation the child definitely has a glim chance for higher studies. 

As a logical conclusion to this article, I recommend that education sector due to its critical component be declared a 'free zone' by all government, civil societies, organizations, villages and people in the hill areas. It is presumed that only an environment of politics free, corruption free and 'non demand' policy on financial investment coming to 'right to education' will pave a way for children to enjoy their right. If elementary education, 'free and compulsory' (Constitution articles no. 21(A) and Right to Education Act, 2001) are implemented financial burden on education at the elementary stage would decline. This would definitely unlease financial capacities of families and villages towards progress and development. It is opined that this article would provide an idea for young generation, people, institutions, local bodies and organizations such as student organizations so that people of all sections or ethnic groups of the state would reap the fruits of democracy and good governance, and create space for inclusive development and growth.