Schools Without Education

Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of generations into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the ‘practice of freedom’, the means by which men and women deal critically with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world (Freire, 1985).

“In my community, there is only one teacher for the whole school, every student irrespective of age or classes are in this same class”

“Whenever I pronounced any word in Malaylam or English wrongly, everybody laughs at me and my teacher would say “it is because you are a tribal person, that is why you cannot pronounce anything well in your life”

“We go to school because of the free food, free uniform and the welfare package that is paid to tribal students”

“Why should I waste my time for years in a school, when I know that after graduation, I will not fit into the mainstream India society or into the tribal community? I will not be accepted there and I won’t be able to understand what I should know in the tribal community?”

“In my school, all tribal students are allowed to go through the lessons until Standard 10, No pass mark for us, and no failure. At the end of Standard 10, there is 100% drop out for the tribal children”

These are some of the exact statements of the children from the tribal areas of India during our unstructured interviews with them in Kerala-India September 2013. The children were on holiday, it made is easier to round them up at a point and had a heart to heart discussion with them.

A child should be a child anywhere in the world. Everyone of them should be able to enjoy the basic fundamental human needs available and should be exposed to the same opportunities available in the nation. This is just a wish among the school going children in the Vedar community in Trivandrum- Kerala. They came into Kerala during the slave trade in 1950/53, so what? Slavery is abolished but the reality on ground leaves so much for imagination.

For a State that claims to have 100% literacy rate in India, it is surprising to find children who are just in school because of free food, free uniform and monthly stipend whereas these kids know that the goal of education anywhere in the world is a mirage when it comes to their own situation. They do not even understand the goal of learning or going through the formal education system.

Paulo Freire explained that Education should awaken the learner’s consciousness, it should be a practice of freedom as opposed to domination, according to him people develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world, with which and in which they find themselves, learners should be able to see their world as a reality in process of transformation.

How I wish Paulo Freire would wake up today, and follow me for a walk in some tribal communities in India, so we can have some interaction with these students that are just in schools without any goal of being educated; not even on how to spell their names correctly.

Why should school be a place for free food and stipend? Why will a government allow a section of its citizenry to be living a life of 11th century in 2013? While will so much be expended on travelling to Mars when those on earth that we are able to see and interact with are still untouchable to us?

It was nauseating that a government school in Panamarem-Wayanad that was built in 1936 has less than 40 students’ enrolment in the whole school. They are struggling to keep students in school, even with the free provision of food and uniform! Whereas there were so many school going kids in their houses who refused to be registered in school because of discrimination and teachers' insistence to teach the children in a language they do not understand. It was a shame to see children drunk with alcohol as early as 8am when they were supposed to be in classes?

I had a sleepless night when I visited Kanjiramkulam-Kerala and spoke with the children as we discussed about solutions to the 100% drop out after Standard 10, without any provision for further education in a non-conventional form. The children go on to marry if they are girls or become daily wage laborers if they are boys. The disheartening situation of Kanjiramkulam became a positive development to what is happening in Wayanad district.

At Chattiolahoor and Chagadi tribal communities in Wayanad district, Kerala, there were schools up to Standard 4, but it was 1 school; one teacher; all students in the same class. With mouth agape I screamed “that must be Malala Yousaif recommendation that she wanted to copy”

Education is the best policy has become a cliché. A school without any goal of molding a child, to become independent, productive and responsible tax payer in the later life, who will equally contribute his quota to the development of his society is a sheer waste of time and resources. What is the usefulness of half baked youths in India? They become frustrated, live hopeless life and later on turn against the society that refused to nurture and uplift them when necessary. (This is the situation in Northern part of Nigeria presently, where the illiterate of the Hausa tribe begin to revolt against Western education).

No wonder a parent said; “we sleep, we wake, we live; no hope for a better future”

If the learner has not learned, the teacher has not taught was what we were told in those days. Today the reality and statistics is staggering. It shows that the teacher is just marking the time; when month ends they receive their pay; while the kids live in vain. Why should ward/school kid attend a school that will never put food on his table in the future? While will a parent register a child in school, nurture the child, sacrifice his time, when he knew that the child will not be accepted in the mainstream society in the long run???

The tribal people are more than 84 million during India’s last census a population that is more than some nations. How can a nation believe that it is progressing when millions of its bona-fide citizens find it difficult to spell development in their own languages??? Questioning upon questioning.

What does is cost India to create a curriculum that is geared towards empowerment to the tribal kids who find it hard to understand the lingua franca? The non-conventional method of learning is another great option too. There is an adage in my community that says, if your neighbor is eating harmful insects, caution him because his inconvenience of its consequences will soon become your inconvenience as it will result into sleepless night for all”.

Non- conventional system of education will nurture the innate abilities of these learners, it will appreciate their passion, it also bridges the gap between the theory and practical, it caters for the different learning styles of each learner and it is applicable anywhere and can be tailored towards any cultural context. Why should a learner be boxed into a single system of education when she can be encouraged to use her innate abilities, leverage on her strength and she able to learn from their daily life experiences?

There is enough room for improvement in the learning system imposed on the tribal children in their communities. Their talents and gifts will become a major source of revenue for India government if these is well monitored and appreciated. 1 school, 1 hostile, teacher, several notebooks, several uninterested students was not recommended by Malala. The world is waiting and watching India, the incredible nation, developing at a faster rate without its millions tribal people.