Dear Gladson Your all articles are really very eyeopening. Situation is same every where in Jharkhand. We are facing problems in Santal Pargana too. The problem is-- how to deal with all these situations. It is really shame for all of us. Regards Nalini
Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > Dear Gladson ji, Very thought provoking article indeed. Shocking too. 61 years of independence from the British empire/ slavery and this is the state of developement of our state/government education provision. Surely the future of nation ( the children) should not be denied the basic resources such as books. What's going on??? Vinod Kumar(12) needs to be commended for his efforts, as do the other children involved in the protests.How does one nominate them for some sort of recognition. I hope the adults in this forum learn from these children, rather than behaving like children! Jai Hind, Jai Jharkhand William Kisku --- Gladson Dungdung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > ** > ** > *Textbook Strike* > > *In a Bokaro school, children demanding textbooks > make themselves heard by > organising a sit-in and refusing entry to grown-ups* > > *GLADSON DUNGDUNG* > > Free and compulsory education is one of the > constitutional rights of > children and the State is duty-bound to realise it. > The Centre and State > governments provide free textbooks, uniforms, midday > meals, scholarships and > other facilities to the poor children who cannot > afford it. For this very > reason, when the children of Utkramit Madhya > Vidhyalaya in Chandipur of > Bokaro district (Jharkhand) were denied these > rights, they started > relentless resistance against the authorities. > Subsequently, they managed to > get themselves heard. > > The problem of unavailability of the textbooks began > with the introduction > of the CBSE curriculum in 2002. The state > government's promise to provide > free textbooks to the children up to class eight was > never fulfilled. The > children did not get the books in 2003. While in > 2004, the books reached the > schools in the month of November, the session passed > away without books in > 2005. A copyright dispute between the state > government and the NCERT meant > the children got their books just in time for their > annual exams of 2006. It > is August 2008 and the last time the children got a > fresh set of books was > in October 2007. No wonder children of Chandipur > School were anxious. > > A child rights organization "Dhara" organized "Bal > Sansad" (children's > parliament) in the district on June 13, 2008 where > the children discussed > the issues of unavailability of textbooks, midday > meals, scholarships and > bicycles. Then a delegation of 15 children in led by > Vinod Kumar (12), > Kartik Kumar (13) and Raju Kumar (10) of Chandipur > School met Alku Das the > Block Education Officer (BEO) of Kasmar on June 20. > Das assured them that > the books would be distributed on July 15 as per the > directions of Bandhu > Tirkey, the Education Minister of Jharkhand. But > when he failed to meet the > deadline, the delegation again met the BEO in his > office on July 16. In an > alarming development, an upset BEO threatened to > have the children put > behind bars. 'Stop politics and get back to school. > Otherwise I'll throw you > behind the bars,' is what the BEO told the children. > Adding fuel to the > children's anger, the incident pushed them to a > strike till they get the > books. > > Mobilising their classmates, they locked the main > gate of the school. They > started shouting slogans "Bhikh Nahi, Adhikar > Chahiye" (we demand our > rights, not charity) and "Khichdi Nahi, Kitab > Chakiye" (we need books, not > mixed-rice). The children's agitation continued for > four days. Durga Das > Mahto, the head teacher of the school got into the > act threatening to expel > them from the school. > > Bhagwat Mahto the chairperson of the 'Village > Education Committee', who > oversaw midday meals in school, put pressure on > children and convinced their > parents to get their children to call off the > agitation. Most of the parents > succumbed to the pressure but fortunately, the > members of 'Mahila Samiti' > recognised the children's concerns were genuine and > backed them. The > chairperson of the Samiti, Basanti Devi said, 'Shame > on us because we did > not support our children's demand. We cannot even > understand the fact that > the children cannot study without books.' > > Finally, the matter caught the attention of the > District Superintendent of > Education (DSE) Shivnarayan Shah. On a July 22 visit > to the school, after > his request to unlock the gates was heard, he > conducted a meeting in its > premises with children, parents and teachers. > Representing the students, > Vinod Kumar complained about the BEO's response when > they approached him. He > was informed that the scholarship has not been > offered for the last three > years, that the girl children are not given bicycles > and the mid day meals > are also not being served properly. > > Furious about the state of affairs, Shah had the > head teacher Durga Das > Mahto transferred. He dissolved the Village > Education Committee and ordered > the constitution of a new committee within a week. > Books were to be provided > immediately, five sets of them to the children of > class 8. He also ordered > an investigation into the matter of scholarship and > distribution of bicycle > to girl children. 'The officers will be punished if > found guilty,' he said. > BEO Alku Das apologised to the children in the > presence of the DSE. Blaming > the inaction of the BEO and the head teacher of the > school for the debacle, > he said, 'They did not do their job and also failed > to report to me.' > > The children were inspired to assume the mantle of > the elders by the > activists of 'Dhara' through various training > programmes, where they are > being taught about their rights recognised by the > United Nation Convention > on Rights of the Child 1989, ratified by the > Government of India on 12 > November 1992. Vinod Kumar explains, 'Here, we learn > about our rights > rights to development including right to education, > participation and > protection". > > According to Jeevan Jagarnath the director of Dhara, > the children in every > village form 'Bal Akhra' (children group); organise > various training camps, > 'Bal Sansad', cultural programmes and they go on > field trips, where they > learn about their rights, issues and redressal > mechanisms. 'We are committed > to making sure that the children enjoy their rights, > to the extent promised > by the government of India,' he said, adding, they > had approached the > parents first but it was the children who set about > exercising their > rightsa good sign of things to come. > > This successful campaign of children for books has > inspired the children of > other schools in the district. The children of > Baraikala and Baraikhurd > middle schools have also started agitations > demanding books and other > facilities. Bablu Kumar (10) of Utkramit Madhya > Vidhyalaya, Baraikhurd > sounded a warning. 'We will also resort to an > agitation if the books do not > reach us by the end of July'. > > There are 44058 government and government-aided > schools in Jharkhand, 1740 > schools in Bokaro district alone but not one of them > has received the > textbooks four months into the new academic year. > Neither are textbooks > available in the market. Herein lies the question > mark on the children's > right to education. William Kisku
