From Nalanda to New Education policy of the Republic of India – part 1

Before trying to understand what is the education we first have to understand about literacy. Literacy is an ability of any individual to read and write something in different forms but education differs because anyone should be literate or have a very good and scientific form of expression of some basics while when you are well learned you know about to approbation and disapprobation on some issue and you should know about institutional instruction of “School & Colleges”.

In a very simple way , 

A normal school in India.(pixabay.com)

 

knowing a country as India is literacy while knowing India’s the actually Republic of India is education. it means education is all about researching the nature of anything or any society and try to make a record or a path or a theory on which basis we can make a perspective about something.

So we are going to discuss the formal education system of India.

Vedic Education – Vedic education is the reflection of the older Vedic culture where a student was thinking about his life and his afterlife. the language of education was Sanskrit and the basis of school education was gurukul where anyone can learn after learning grammar known as vyakaran.guru teaches you basics of education  which are known as up Nisa Diya Shiksha where you learn directly from a guru. this was all the hostel education system . after this step you come with contact of another guru known as acharya.acharya  was well-learned teachers and they were master of something  who teaches the student about life and about dharma . dharma was the centre of life and education so here is limitation also about whom was acharya want to teach or not. everyone knows about the famous story  of Eklavya and drone acharya. one very good thing which is missing in this education that the student was free to do discussions and argument with the teachers like after this story of Eka lav ya and drone acharya there is a famous discussion between them. After school education student was free to follow an acharya or a school of philosophy  or follow your profession.

Why is Nalanda important ?

The first university of the world established in 700 bc in  Takshshila known as Nalanda , Nalanda was the biggest university at that time in India but internationally known at that time because Nalanda has the students from Cambodia,turkey,japan,china and Tibet . it was also a maha vihara ( a Buddhist monastery ) following the learning technique of Vedic education and the level of subject and argument become more and bigger. writing on the paper was invented which makes easy documentation of knowledge and it makes easy to access to the students of Nalanda.all kings and social orders given them their patronage until it was totally destroyed by bakhtiyar khilji in 1193 and all the manuscript burned.  The subjects were taught was science, astronomy,tattva,mi mansa,mathematics, philosophy and others with great teachers like shrushut,aryabhatta,bhaskaracharya and patanjali.

Then under the Islamic regime, a lot of madrasas (over 200 years ago) was established for teachings of  Quran and continue with the history of India and give a lot of support to Urdu language and Urdu literature.

Education in British India?

After when English education was established in most part of India in 1835 by Macaulay for manufacturing of interpreters between British and Indians. But it has done something above what McCauley want Indians adopted English education which opens the way to learn new science and thoughts it makes to understand the importance of social reform. this was also the time of industrial revolution in the world how India can be untouched to it the first technical institute was established 1847 in Thompson’s Engg. College, Roorkee  was nowadays known as IIT Roorkee and first medical college was established in Kolkata in 1833.A Lot of technical institutes and other schools was established in India up to the freedom. people like Ram Mohan Rai ,Madan Mohan Malviya , Mahatma Gandhi , Gopal Krishna Gokhale worked a lot for education.

Education system after independence?

the gov passed a lot of education policies after independence in 1992 s national education policy affected the whole education system. in 2009 according to the right to education (RTE -2009),  every child from 6 to 14 years have the right to get the free basic education in nearby school under the article 21 of Indian constitution.

New education policy (recommended) 2016 – a new report by the T.S.R. Subramanian committee for new education policy some of the important points are here,

school girls (pixabay.com)

1. school education to class 5 will be given in mother tung and second and third language will be decided by the state governments.
2. the school which have low admission the infrastructure and teacher deployment should be increased .
3. Change in board pattern for science and non-science students in class 10.
4. A national level entrance exam for all the students in place of a lot of exams after class 12 for entrance in higher education.
5. A national level test for school dropout students to get admission in class 10 and 12.
6. The quality of mid-day meal will be increased and give a special focus to special students.
7. The toppers of class 12 will be offered for a specific teaching and research program of five years.
8. National Higher Education Promotion and Management Act will come soon.
9. A fellowship program will be provided to the student of economically weaker section background.
10. MHRD will make a more scientific method for API for teachers.

if these plans will be accepted by the government a lot of changes we can see in next 5 to 10 year in the education of India.

 

For More Information You Can Read –

1. right to education
2. Some Inputs for Draft NEP 2016 
3. Report of the Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy
4. National Institutional Ranking Framework MHRD
5. Educational Statistics – At a Glance – MHRD

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Sources ( I am most thankful)

1. NEF 2016 http://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Inputs_Draft_NEP_2016_1.pdf
2. MHRD -http://mhrd.gov.in/
3. Images –  a normal school in India. & school girls – Pixabay.com 
   

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Manual Scavenging

If you are don’t know what is Manual scavenging try to remember that forgotten days when people was using Public & Personal Dry Toilets which was used  by everyone except some wealthy families may be you also know that woman who was cleaning it manually by her own hand it is Manual scavenging. Manual Scavenging is a stigma on the face of  developing  India because it’s not only related with human society but also with individual’s human dignity. ask a question to yourself why someone clean you human waste for a small amount of money which was not granted & and you are playing not only with his household and also with his human dignity. A lot of families feeling himself humiliated and wretched because there family members working as swabber or cleaner in our society because this manual scavenging exist in different form in different places of the world like in india its maila dhona and pit emptying in other places of the world.

In all over the globe manual scavenging is a problem somewhere as carrying human excreta , in other places as pickup the of dead organisms without any protection, but here we are limiting our self with  in india.

SO what is the manual scavenging ?

Manual scavenging is a traditional occupation in which a small section of any society or human group specially schedule caste clean human waste by their hand and carry on their heads. It is not only a social injustice but it is also an inhuman act which can not be consider as a task of social work. According to the (^1 ) THE PROHIBITION OF EMPLOYMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND THEIR REHABILITATION ACT, 2013“Any human who is included of cleaning Human excreta by hand,To haul and tossing it in any place by any method, or involved into carrying this human waste”  it is not only a process of scavenging waste it is also a process of  limiting the human rights for those who are involved in this type of activity because they will face a new challenge where they are not going to get another type of work or occupation.

A woman sweeper in india (^image source)

So where from manual scavenging start?

We can easily say it have a very long history not only as human history but also as toilets Construction history in civil engineering which can be a very good topic for discussion. may be specific type of  dry toilets was constructed before thousands years ago and the depressed classes were forced to do manual scavenging. so what was the history no one actually knows but thanks to Gandhi, in 1917 gandhi opposed the process of manual scavenging in his own way in Sabarmati Ashram where everyone should clean his own excreta or waste. so it start from somewhere and it have no end until it stop.it is the problem which exist in every caste and religion of india. and the people who force anyone for do this or included in this area from every religion. so sad!

is it a big problem ?

yes! it is a big problem not only with viewpoint of human dignity but also with the socio economic condition of society.

here are some points –

1. If you think this is the problem of villages and small cities so you are wrong because if in every village here are a small family of 3 or 4 members is involved in manual scavenging so here are more than 60000 villages.
2. This class of society will not get any other job or not do another occupation it means they will continue begging for food and they will be poor for their all life.
3. Manual scavenging supports the untouchability , caste discrimination, class & gender discrimination , child labour and bonded labour in a way.
4. It is also a big problem because after 1993 to 2014 a lot of Schemes for these people and their relatives  was failed and a large amount of money of taxpayers has been swayed, so it means it is affecting our economy.

What are its effects in our society?

The people who involved in manual scavenging are a part of our own society and this is not cleaning process or a swachata abhiyan  it is a totally inhuman practice and forcing someone to do this is very cruel.

1. Effects on human health –  cleaning toilets with there own hand is  the cause of different diseases and illnesses like hepatitis, asthma and other skin diseases. mostly women and children  are involved in manual scavenging  and if they face these malady here are very less chances that they will recover because of lack of money and due to poverty. primary resources of their food are what they collect by begging and definitely no one will give then good food so they get stale food which have fungus & unhealthy food.
2. Effect on women’s dignity – these women and  girl childs are facing verbal & physical abuse as well as sexual molestation by those who believes on “untouchability ” as well as  own life partner. most of these women are depressed and pensive,because what they earn that goes on their husbands liqueur. These class of woman have no self respect no way to express or to get education.
3. Effect on children’s life – in a lot of cases of manual scavenging in india mostly in north indian states childrens are not going to school because of class and work discrimination because they or their parents are doing this inhuman practice.Mostly they are dalits and from the depressed classes known as bhangi or valmiki so they are facing  a different level of discrimination where they have separate plate for food and separate glass for water.This activity increases the hatred between children’s which  become too much malice when they become young.
4. Other social problems – everyone who is doing this work think that what i do that is my destiny or my bad luck , which actually eliminating their spirit of life and they become superstitious. as we discussed earlier manual scavenging supports the untouchability , caste discrimination, class & gender discrimination , child labour and bonded labour also. if these women stop carrying human excreta or man stop cleaning sewer there are a large chances of there social , economics and religious bycaught by others .

What government is doing ?

before discussing what government is doing we should discuss first what government has done so far ?

All committees which had been established by government after independence they suggested to eliminate the manual scavenging from 1948  to 1968 but after a long time a law was created as (^2 )THE EMPLOYMENT OF MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND CONSTRUCTION OF DRY LATRINES (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1993 , which was prohibited the Construction of the dry latrines and was aimed to stop the manual scavenging. the definition of manual scavenging was changed in 2013 but the situation of  manual scavenger has not improved until today. yes the violations of law could result jail or a fine of  50,000 rupee or both to the person or group who are involved to force it again on someone’s head.

You can easily understand before 2014 there was every thing on papers only, because if you see clearly a number of employes are working for this under government agencies like indian railway, municipal, nagar panchayat and nagar nigam.that why it is a big issue not only for government as well as for the people .

So what nowadays happening and what you\we can do for them ?

1. Government are against open defecation so the government encouraging for the construction of (^3)Low Cost Sanitation by motivation and as well as economic help.
2. Cleaning of seaver by using new cleaning technique is one of the best way.
3. Providing economic help to the people who are ore was involved in this inhuman practice.
4. Government and private banks are providing them (^4)loan under rehabilitation program of government, but how these poor people can return their loan it’s a another topic for discussion and why a bank will give them loan who knows that the borrower have nothing to return.
5. The childrens who are affected by it should get equal status in school and they should get government and social aid so they don’t quit their studies.
6. The industrial training and social programs for their better future should be provided them easily by government and other organizations (^5). railways changed their sanitation technic and start making a new style of tank for trains in indian railways.
7. Any social organization can teach them driving and automobile maintenance, self defence to women and children’s and other different thing. government and social organization should continue to do research(^6) and try to stop this.
8. You can help their childrens to do study and to make them economically good.
9. You can help that social organizations to wipeout this , and try to get their help because this section are very very economically and technically depressed.
10. You can teach their woman’s internet and other stuff if not so you can make a toilet at least.
11. You can stop the people who are forcing to do it and at least try to change the thinking of people who are telling it “spiritual experience for valmiki’s” and so on.

This is not only the fight of manual scavengers or government, this is our fight our revolution to save someone’s dignity to save someone’s social life and our society.

Who can help you?

• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Schemes)
• Safai Karmachari Andolan
• National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation(NSKFDC)
• Jansahas

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Sources ( I am most thankful. )

1. (^1 ) THE PROHIBITION OF EMPLOYMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND THEIR REHABILITATION ACT, 2013 by MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
2. (^2 )THE EMPLOYMENT OF MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND CONSTRUCTION OF DRY LATRINES (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1993 under ACT NO. 46 OF 1993 
3. (^3)Low Cost Sanitation
4. (^4)  Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers(SRMS)
5. (^5) Freedom from Manual Scavenging (PIB)
6. (^6) https://data.gov.in/
7. ^image source

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