GANATAR: EDUCATING THE CHILDREN OF THE DESERT
Group E6
The cost of Salt
• A life expectancy of 50 years for about 50,000 people
• Night blindness among 60% of the children of saltpan workers
• Temperatures of 55OC for children below the age of 6
• A daily wage as low as Rs. 30• A literacy rate of 1.3% in an entire community• Unnatural deaths due to Tuberculosis and
Gangrene
Saltpans
Little Rann of Kutch is a 5,200 sq-km area
Accounts for 25% of India’s total salt production
Saltpan Workers
About 1,00,000 people employed in this industry
80% of them are landless labors
They have been working here for generations
They fall under the De-notified Tribe list and are called Agariyas
Problems
Social
Economic
HazardsPlight of Children
GovernmentProhibitions
Ganatar- Introduction
Ganatar – Work Profile
Children
Health
Eradication of Child Labor
Education
Ganatar - Achievements
• Percentage of children going to school increased from 20% to 80% in 10 years
• Pushed for and secured an amount of Rs. 11 crore in the State Budget for setting up schools
• Comprehensive setup for education and vocational training
• Has a network in 90 villages through panchayats and schools
Organization of the society
Merchants
Agarias
Labourers (migrated from other states)
Agarias: Status in the society
Feel exploited
Little leverage to negotiate
Sustenance drivenFragmented community
No elected representative to take their cause
Role of government
Responsibility of ensuring education
(RTE)
Little help accorded till
now
No legislation to prevent
exploitation
The Solution
Government
NGOs
Community
Recommendations (for Ganatar)
Gather Funding
Ask for Regulations
Ask for Technology
Engage Government
Form Self-help groups
Thank You