Education - a fantasy of tribal Gujarat

 In one of the first major attempts to assess conditions at ground level in Gujarat state in view of Right to Education Act, the information collected by the child rights organizations has revealed that 192 primary schools out of 547 under survey are not having separate toilet facility for girl students. On 18 October, 2011, the Supreme Court of India ordered all states and union territories to construct toilets in primary schools especially for girl students before the end of November, 2011.

In year 2011 information was sought under RTI by the organizations affiliated with Buniyadi Adhikar Andolan, Gujarat (BAAG) from primary schools of 13 talukas and one city including Vijaynagar, Tarapur, Ghogha, Bhanvad, Bhiloda, Vav, Amirgadh, Mangrol, Porbandar, Ranavav, Bagasara, Lathi, Jamlodhpur and Surat. The information was sought as per provisions of RTE Act whether the schools are having classrooms, office, toilet facilities for girl students, play ground, library, and separate kitchen for mid-day meal, water, etc. attempt was also made to know required number of teachers as per new provision. 

The information of Surat was not provided, but the information of 13 talukas revealed that out of 547 schools, 93 schools are not having classes as per rules, 91 schools are not having office-cum-store-cum-room for head teacher, 29 schools lack entrance without obstruction, 80 schools do not have any facility for drinking water, 57 schools are preparing their mid-day meal under open sky, 102 schools have no boundary wall, 155 schools do not have any play ground and 189 schools are running without any kind of educational and sport material, 10 schools have no electricity and 18 schools have no books or library. 

After analyzing the data, Dalit Hak Rakshak Manch decided to measure ground level situation and visited some schools in the interior villages of Vijaynagar taluka with the help of activists of Adivasi Sarvangi Vikas Sangh. The observations are shocking. The schools in villages like Dagla, limada are having their play ground on the other side of the road. The limada-2 primary school of Limada village has another unique feature having even water tank and toilet on the other side of the road. In Samtela village the play ground turns to field during monsoon, as the land is still occupied by a villager, who says that his father had donated land for school! In Bhankhra villave the school the mid day meal is being cooked under open sky.

  Activists observe broken hand pump, village Joravarnagar

If a school in any city had been in such
 condition, this photo would have been 
on front page of a news paper

 

Out of 75 schools of Vijaynagar taluka, 
10 schools have no facility of water. 
this Joravarnagar school is one of those
 65 school having facility of water!

here, mid day meal is coocked

Common toilet. 
No separate toilet for Girl student

55 out of 75 schools have no separate toilet 

for girl student in Vijaynagar taluka

No boundary wall

28 out of 75 schools have no boundary wall

in Vijaynagar taluka

Bhankhara primary school

students study in varandah

33 out of 75 schools in taluka 
have no rooms for classes

two wooden sticks have been fixed

 to show that it is an entrance

beautiful landscape, ugly infrastructure

10 out of 75 schools have no entrance

Under open sky, mid day meal is prepared

9 out of 75 schools in taluka
 have no kitchen for mid day meal

imagine the situation in rainy season!

details of weekly menu is displayed on 
a black board. for students of 1-5 std. 
Monday menu comprises khichadi & 
vegetable (180 gm.) including 100 gm. 
rice, 20 gram pulse, 10 gram oil 50 gm. 
vegetable. healthy 1-to-3-year-old 
children need 0.55 grams of protein per
 pound of body weight per day, which 
means the average 29-pound toddler
 needs 16 grams of protein each day.

Vanaj primary school

no separate toilet for girl student

the stable of animals would be in better 
condition than toilets!

the school is lying in a deep pit, which is 

filled in rainy season and students take

another route to reach their classes

the surrounding mountains  

the Samtela village school having separate

 toilets for girl students. a rare sight!

Samtela primary school was devastated in 

earth-quake and later repaired with help of 

Netherlands government.

the verandah of school, where mid day

 meal is cooked.

starring eyes ask, "when will we become

 graduate? when will we get benefit of 

so-called reservation? or simply will we 

construct your homes and be crushed under 

a truck at mid night?"

this is play ground of school, but it is still

a private property and in rainy season the 

owner uses it for agricultural purpose!

when they saw some guests visiting their 

school, they rushed to talk with them. 

Really, they love their school.

They are given some rotten crumbs in the 

name of mid day meal. They study under

 open sky. They drink stinking water. Their 

toilets never distinguish boys and girls. 

Money meant for their development is

diverted to purchase buses. Reservation is 

a joke for them and they laugh .......

  

The water tank without taps

Tribals, third biggest community after 

Patel (20 %) and Thakor (20 %),

 are 14 percent of Gujarat, still they 

are marginalized

Children have to cross the road to reach

toilet and water tank

On the one side of road, Dagala primary school

.... and on the other side, water tank and toilet

Activists taking rest 

Dagala primary school. total neglect.

this is actually a class room

.....And students sit here to learn!

the board displays: Vanbandhu Kalyan Jojana

New Gujarat pattern yojana

special central assistance

amount 75,400, year 2007-08

the staircase of stones leading to school

the playground is on the other side of road

You can not deny that there is no play ground!