Global Rights’ Participatory Action Research on Primary Education

“Children of Lesser Gods”Varsha Ayyar

In India, we are known as Dalits, the ex-untouchables. We are 160 million, forming 16% of the total Indian population and over 250 million in the Indian subcontinent that suffer from 3000 years of the Hindu caste system (Pocha,2003).

We continue to suffer from discrimination which is an obstacle to the fulfillment of our basic human rights (civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights)

Reference: Khandare Lalit (2006)

The caste hierarchy, which is central to the Hindu religion, prescribes a gruesome punishment for the Dalits, who must forever obediently serve the other, twice-born, varnas. (Manusmriti )

This discrimination is legitimated by the spiritual, legal and moral sanctions of the Dharmashastras.

Graded inequality regulated by the central values of purity and impurity maintained by caste endogamy restricted food sharing, as well as educational and occupational mobility.

“I consider the four divisions to be fundamental, natural and essential” (Mahatma Gandhi, 1920)

“Hinduism does most emphatically discourage interdining and intermarriage between divisions… Prohibitions against intermarriage and interdining is essential for the rapid evolution of the soul” (Mahatma Gandhi, Young India, October, 1921)

Our fight is to claim our basic human rights and dignity( 1932)

Educate- Organize- Agitate

Dalits are forced to live separately from caste Hindus in rural and urban areas. Dalit slums are invariably the worst parts of any Indian city; they are rarely recognized as formal settlements by the government and so lack basic services like education, health, water, hygiene, and no legal means of forcing the government to take action.

Post Independent India: Living as outcastes

Sub-standard Schools: 99% of Dalit students come from government schools which lack basic infrastructure, class rooms, teachers, computers, library and safe drinking water facilities. In a situation where the state is already appallingly remiss in its duty to provide free, universal and compulsory education for its citizens, the trend towards privatization of education is only reinforcing the ongoing neglect and deterioration of government schools. What credible assurance can the state give to its Dalit citizens that contrary to its past record, it is making a conscious and concrete commitment to address the acute and dire educational needs of Dalits?

Illiteracy: Forty years after the constitutional mandate that advocates special care and consideration for Dalits, illiteracy still plagues almost two thirds of Dalits as compared to one half of the general population. The literacy gap between Dalits and the rest of the population fell a scant 0.39% between 1961 and 1991.

Primary School Enrolment: Enrollment among Dalit children in 1993 at the primary level was an inexcusably low 16%, while among non-SCs it was 84%. The Drop out rate is highest among Dalit children, especially girls, as compared to non –SCs.

Dalit children show their ambition in a program of local organization in Dalit Community

Who want to be doctor?

Level of education has a direct impact on caste based atrocity cases. One reason is the backlash from the non-SC/ST community on seeing SC/ST becoming empowered. A second reason is because, as the graph indicates, there is an increased level of awareness among SC/ST masses due to education, which is safeguarded in legislation, so they come forward to register the complaints which would otherwise have been difficult.

Education and Atrocity Linkages

Source: NIC & Economic Survey

EducationLevelin SC/ ST

CasteAtrocityCases

Education and AtrocitiesDangerous Societal Barriers

Claiming for DignityIn the world of civilized society

Every day three Dalit women are raped. Every hour two Dalits are assaulted

26,127 crimes were committed against SC/ ST’s including 1172 rapes against Dalit women and 669 cases of murder in 2005

Every day two Dalits are murdered & two Dalit houses are burnt in India.”

(Crime in India, Govt. of India,1993,2005)

My Team

Surveys ( Sample Size, N=100) Equal representation from the

marginalized (Dalits) and dominant communities (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas)

Focus group discussions, 6 groups of 15

to 20 young Dalit participants

23%

23%

0

19%

27%

23%

27%

25%

27%

100%

93%

10%

48%

93%

100%

97%

97%

97%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

Clean drinking water

Permanent structure (A roof)

Toilets

Computers

Internet access

Library

Sports facilities

Music and drama facilities

Cafeteria

Percentage of schools that lack these facilities

Marginalized

Dominant

18%

16%

10%

18%

52%

55%

52%

52%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

My culture isrepresented

positively in classes

My culture isrepresentedpositively intextbooks

My culture isrespected by

teachers

My culture isrespected by

students

Percetange of students who responded 'Never'

Marginalized

Dominant

Government schools around India promise open acceptance for all students, but in reality many teachers refuse to teach Dalit children. They cite them as 'unworthy of learning' or a 'waste of teacher time'. Even if they are accepted, Dalit children are not given equal opportunities in many schools.

Discriminative Discipline

“They have better facilities, they can afford good books, quality education, clean drinking water, sports facilities, and their teachers love them, whereas our teachers beat us, abuse us.”

- Dalit Focus Group Participant

“Male teachers molested us, sexually assaulted us and because of shame , I stopped going to school.”

16%

81%

3%3%

83%

14%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Very safe Sometimes safe Not safe

How safe do you feel in school?

Dominant

Marginalized

“Our schools provide us the kind of education that will land us into low paid informal sector. These schools either force to drop us out of schools or become security guards or servants. Their schools make them Doctors, Engineers or professionals”

A High School student of Dalit Community

“Our teachers force us to behave like submissive girls…. We cannot think beyond our family jobs such as domestic servants and as vegetable vendors. My teachers laughed at me, when I said I wanted to be a Doctor”

- Rajni, a high school student

“What use is school? It's a waste of time and money. Even if our children do get an education, they will never be allowed to use it. If she starts sweeping and garbage collection now, at least she'll learn the trade and be able to make some money for us one day.” A Dalit mother explains why she handed her daughter a broom when she turned four.

Universalisation of Primary education programs that are largely funded by the World Bank, USAID, DFID should give special emphasis to the education of the Dalit population

Starting International residential schools in India for Dalit students

Protecting Dalit Girls, especially those living in rural areas, to access education

Progressive educational policies in imparting vocational skills for the drop outs

Dalit Girls should be given preference and special treatment under existing and future programs

Affirmative Action Policy for Dalits in International agencies like the UN

All the development program must recognize Caste as a form of oppression in India

Enabling Dalit women’s voices in decision making processes especially in NGO’s where we are always at the grass root levels

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Martin Luther King Jr

Varsha Ayyar

Email:sharmishtaa@rediffmail.com

Nishant Lalwani gave permission to use his photographs in this presentation. More

evocative photos of the Dalit community can be found at his website:   

http://www.nishantlalwani.co.uk/.