Educating the Dalits (group 2)

 

Group 2

Read the short text and explain:

-        the situation of the Dalits

-        what affirmative action is

-        what the Shanti Bhavan’s Children’s Project permits to do.

 

 

Educating India’s Dalit Children Can Change the Discourse Around Caste

Schools that provide high-quality, gender-balanced education for the children of underprivileged Dalit families can improve the economic well-being of entire communities and start to break down the stigma surrounding caste, says Smriti Sharma of UNU-WIDER.

Written by Smriti Sharma

Published on s Sep. 6, 2017

Read time Approx. 4 minutes

The circumstances that children are born into and face in their early lives can have enduring effects on their outcomes, extending well into adulthood. Being born into a low-caste or Dalit family in India is a notable example of how the accident of birth can dictate the course of a person’s life. While caste and economic status are intricately linked, being Dalit carries with it the stigma of untouchability, as these groups were historically considered ritually polluting to the more privileged castes and were therefore subjected to segregation and lowly jobs. Casteism combined with pervasive patriarchy and gender inequality means that multiple burdens arise from being a poor Dalit female. Dalit women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and fare worse than non-Dalit women and Dalit men in terms of education levels and accessing health and other public services.

The Indian Constitution introduced affirmative action in the form of quotas for members of the Scheduled Castes (the official term for Dalits) in institutions of higher education, government jobs, local governments and national and state legislatures

An Innovative Social Experiment

One such initiative to reduce the educational disadvantage of Dalits from an early age is the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, which runs a residential school in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The vision of its founder, Abraham George, is to provide well-rounded, high-quality education from preschool onward to children from poor Dalit families, so that after they graduate they can financially support their families and help their local communities. Free education and board is provided during school and most costs are covered throughout college. The emphasis on educating girls (half the students in every grade are female), treating boys and girls as equals and instilling gender-sensitive attitudes among male students is noteworthy.