Monday, January 19, 2009

Look at the irony

To work...

Education or labor?
Journey to school or to work?
Carry Books or Bricks?

7 comments:

~mE said...

i wish they could do both

~ ॐ ~ said...

Unfortunately, your questions trigger emotions mostly sympathetic in nature and from what I have seen (I am hoping your experience is similar) is that they do not need sympathy... they need someone who understands the situation they are in and then work towards a future. Better or not I do not know... because I have challenged myself on this question many times !!! If I ensure primary education, what next? That does not resolve the entire thing, and that should not be interpreted as I am against primary education just that I am thinking one step further and then getting back to basics.

I have seen this challenge in Moradabad where I work with Sankalp and have struggled with an answer... while there are cases where kids realized the value of education and made efforts to move up from primary to higher education and are looking forward to being teachers, policemen, army men,and so on... and there is no dearth of cases where they could not sustain with the education because of multiple reasons !!!

Another mapping is undergoing these days in a small town near moradabad, where they make small memorabilia from Bones which is sent all over the world, and mostly kids are involved in a lot of work there, either as a labor (paid/unpaid) or participating as a part of the family... and they do not know a different way of living... and a number of times these kids are also responsible for earning for the family too....

Too long a comment eh !! I guess I am too sensitive towards this... I see solutions, and I see challenges, the biggest one being myself !!! Someday things will improve !! I am pretty sure of that though !!!

Kshitiz Anand said...

Hmm .. thanks for that great comment Om.

I agree that they do not need sympathy. Only sympathy is absolutely of no use. Only if it results in actions, it should matter. Else it is really nothing more than a comment.

Being from the place, I think that I fall in that category of people who understand their situation better than just mere volunteers from some organization.

The problem space as we all know here is messy. Primary education cannot result in immediate goals like hunger, abolishment of child labor etc. These again are the nuisance of the society and its only logical to ask these questions.

Retention of students in schools and also retention of interest in the children for education is perhaps one of the most crucial problem. Even after giving them the motivation, it is very likely that owing to family pressure, social norms, they still end up dropping out of schools.

That bones case is truly something shocking. But at the same time it is reality and similar stories exist within the different parts of the country.

I am sure there are different ways in which people can contribute towards this cause. I will keep you posted on this too.

Thanks once again for the comment. It does initiate a lot of thought process.

Thanks Sharanya... have to differ on this one. I know it is easy if they can do both, but there has to be a way in which they can only study and enjoy childhood.

~ ॐ ~ said...

I have a feeling 1 and 1 will make 11 someday Kshitiz !!! I am looking forward to that day for sure !!

I am going to follow the Bones wala initiative... its still just a start and the people have started talking to the community and just trying to find out the current status.

Amen to a better world !!!

~mE said...

Children are too small to know childhood..give them anything they will do it with a lot of joy. Only when they grow up they realise that their childhood was not like it was supposed to be or like ours.

These kids i feel if they get to do both they will definetly be much better citizens.

Take one of these and put them in school they will not survive..they will either try to run away or they will just be bad at studies or something else...There might be exceptions but i am sure mostly this would be the case.

I think best is give them basic eduction and also give them some vocational courses where they are able to do something and earn some money

Kshitiz Anand said...

That's a really goood suggestion Sharanya!

I will take more inputs on that from you soon!

ChAsMeBadDoOr said...

i totaly agree wid wot ~me said.. sorry i dont know the name of the person... he woteva he/she said is fact...

education is free till the age 14 4 evry child in maharastra in evry municipality and govt skools.. but 80% of the children are compelled to leave studies n go 4 work since education wont feed them but work wud do that...this is what they believe and i really dont think that their believe is wrong since poverty leads them to think that way O_O .. and i cant bet all over India this practice continues...