Present Scenario of Education in Rural Barak Valley-HaFSA Experience

(With special reference to Muslims of Barak Valley)

Barak Valley of Assam may genuinely boast of its educational infrastructure. The Valley of about 36.24 lakh population has 9314 educational institutions including one central university with 40 affiliated colleges, a medical college, two engineering colleges including a NIT, two Polytechnics, two Law Colleges, eight B.Ed. Colleges, two DIETs, one Normal School, two ITIs,328 provincialized High /HS Schools,64 recognized High Schools,2377 Venture Schools, 868 provincialized ME,MV Schools, a host of private high schools,4935 LP Schools run by Government ,3 Navodaya Vidyalayas,9 Central Schools .(Source:BARAK-2017-page -89) Apart from the above there is proliferation of English Medium primary schools in every nook and corner of the Valley. This is a very impressive statistic. By now the numbers must have gone up. 

Given this strong network of educational institutions, Barak Valley should have been one of the most advanced regions in the country educationally -followed by economic, cultural and social developments. All types of educational institutions from KG to PG are easily accessible to the people of Barak Valley except IIT and IIM. But these institutions are also in Guwahati and Shillong respectively. But what is the educational scenario in Barak Valley? To have an idea about it, no door-to-door survey is necessary. An impressionist survey of the region will tell a conscious citizen of the Valley about the educational level of Barak Valley people. As per the last census literacy rate of Barak Valley is about 77% against the state literacy rate of 72%. But this is not the era of literacy. This is the era of higher education -general, professional, technical and science. As per census based reports 8.4 % of the population of the country are graduates. On this count Barak Valley must have 309416 graduates. But in fact, the number of graduates in Barak Valley is much less than the national average. Besides most of the graduates are concentrated in urban areas of Silchar Karimganj and Hailakandi whereas more than 80% of Barak Valley population are living in rural Barak Valley. Higher education in rural Barak Valley is in a dismal position. Also primary, secondary and higher secondary education the stepping stone to higher education is very weak in rural Barak Valley.

India in the past decades has changed economically, educationally and socially. India has become an increasingly important part of the global economic landscape over the past decades. People have climbed through the social and economic ladders. Even as there has been social and economic advancement, there are regions in remote areas which are still educationally and socially far behind the rest of the country and they are deprived of the benefit of India’s growth process. There is a need for the initiative of NGOs in helping this segment of population to reap the benefit of the country’s economic prosperity and become partners of progress and move forward socially, educationally and culturally.

Keeping this scenario in remote rural Barak Valley in mind Hafsa Foundation for Social Advancement (HaFSA) an NGO started it activities with its base in the village Rajghat,Bam Bhagabazar ,Cachar in 2020 February to work for empowering the community and take it forward socially ,economically and culturally. Education being key to all the development of a community, HaFSA focused on educational development of the Rajghat village at primary level.

Rajghat village with 979 households and a population of 4709 (average 4.81 members per family against state average of 4.87) as per 2011 census is situated in the NH 306 ,37 km from Silchar and only three km away from Mizoram border at Lailapur.Rajghat is one of the villages farthest from Silchar in the south. A village with 4709 population has three lower primary schools run by government, one Senior Secondary school and one High School,one ME Madrassa(now ME School),one English medium High School.Besides there is a century old Kharijia madrasa for theological education and one Girls’ Madrasa. Within a five km radius of the village there are Army School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, few English medium High Schools and a newly started degree college. With this strong institutional network, education up to Sr Secondary level is accessible and available in the village itself. The village has the potentiality of being one of the most educationally advanced villages in the Barak Valley.

The Foundation made a preliminary survey of the village to know the educational requirements of the village and draw its roadmap. HaFSA found that in a village of 4709 population there were not more than 50 graduates. As per 2011 census 8.40 % population of the country are graduates. At this rate the number of graduates in the village Rajghat should have been 395.The number of graduates were only 1.06 % of the village population. In order to become a graduate a student has to take admission in the local Bam Bidyapith High School and pass HSLC and go to local Sr Secondary school to clear HS level and go to any of the degree colleges in Southern Silchar and become graduate. Theoretically it is so simple. The Foundation interacted with Bam Bidyapith High School Headmaster and teachers to know the level of enrolment of Rajghat village students in the High School. The High School takes about 300 students in Class VI every year based on entrance test out of about 500 aspirants from class V pass students of feeder LP Schools of the High School. It was learnt from experience of the High School that a large number of students appearing in the High School class VI admission test cannot read a paragraph even. So they do not get admission in the Bam Bidyapith High School. These students go to other ME,MV and High Schools in the neighborhood and naturally do not go much ahead as they are not even teachable in class VI. Most of the students of the village who get admission in the High School and pass HSLC also do not pursue higher education. They end their academic career after HSLC/HS and start earning from odd jobs and profession. At present the gross enrolment ratio in higher education for age group of 18-23 in the country is 27%.The exact Raighat students of this age group going to the colleges is not known. But from a cursory survey of the village, it would be found that only a handful of students of this age group are going to the colleges. 

At the next level HaFSA interacted with local LP Schools run by Government and found that the total enrolment in these three LP schools is 746 students-248 students in average. There are nineteen teachers in these three schools. Except three teachers all are TET qualified teachers having general qualification of up to post graduation. The teacher student ratio is 1:39 which is a very fair ratio. The TET teachers have come through tough competition and are qualified teachers having aptitude and capacity to teach. Despite that the students of these schools were not clearing admission tests in the local High School. Thus the doors for higher education for these students are virtually sealed forever.

This made the focus of HaFSA very clear. It was decided that the Foundation would impart remedial teaching to the students of provincialized lower primary schools where more than 80% rural students go and fail to qualify for higher primary and higher education. First it was decided to start with class V students and equip them for entrance test for admission in class VI of Bam Bidyapith High School. The Bam Bidyapith High School has the distinction of achieving success rate of 80% to 100% in HSLC examination for more than a decade. It was assumed that once a student gets admission in the High School there is minimum 80% possibility for the student to pass HSLC and go for HS in local Sr Secondary School and then for Higher education in Colleges. But it was a simplistic remedy for a complicated malady. The Class V students who came to HaFSA for remedial coaching were not teachable. Their basics were very weak. They had to be taught the basics first from Class I onwards. It was decided to open up the remedial classes for all classes from Class I to Class V. The enrollment in remedial classes was declared open on 24/02/2021. It was decided that for the first three months teaching would be free of any charge. After three months a nominal fee would be charged to cover the cost of teaching.

Students of HaFSA Academy Remedial class with their four teachers.

Response for remedial classes for students of class I to Class V for six days in a week for two hours from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm was heart-warming. There were 82 students enrolled up to 29/03/2021 which included 24 orphans/BPL students. Encouraged by the response the Foundation appointed three TET/D.El.Ed qualified teachers including one Science Graduate and purchased desks and benches to accommodate the growing number of students and made out a plan to create an additional classroom. But the euphoria was short lived. Soon the guardians started asking if the Foundation would supply free meals, school bags and clothes etc. It was also noticed that attendance in classes never crossed 50% of enrolled students. While 82 students were on the roll, average attendance of students in a day was around 25 students whereas the Foundation had four teachers and two class rooms with adequate sitting accommodation. The facilities were underutilized. Above all Teachers cannot teach students with erratic attendance. The Foundation learnt from reality. The Foundation did the course correction and decided not to give free coaching and free remedial classes and not to give anything free of cost to students of families above poverty line. The students belonging to poor families would be given scholarships out of zakat funds placed at the disposal of HaFSA by local people on whom zakat is mandatory. It was decided to take admission fees of.100.00 and 150.00 for lower and higher classes and monthly fees would be charged after three months. Only 31 students were ready to continue on payment of fees and guardians of remaining students stopped sending their children to HaFSA. But it was found to be a sound decision. Now the students who paid admission fee of Rs.100.00/150.00 attended the classes regularly and studied diligently. Some more students would have taken admission. But in the meanwhile, classes in schools were suspended from 19 June 2021 following the onset of phase II of Covid 19 and HaFSA also closed down the classes. 

The operation of HaFSA will resume soon after lifting of Covid 19 restrictions and go forward with its mission. In the meanwhile, the Foundation has learnt hugely from its short experience. 

The Government is providing cooked mid-day meals, books, copy books, uniforms free of cost to school going students. There are no tuition fees in the school. Government is paying the salary of teachers from the exchequer and providing funds for creating and maintaining infrastructure. The benevolent Government has virtually taken over the role of guardians of the students. So, the guardians have no financial stake and no stake in the academic career of their offspring. They have abdicated their responsibility of educating their children. Apart from above the Government is providing to BPL families almost everything free or on subsidy-be it housing, ration, toilets, LPG and many things under various schemes. Life is easy for rural guardians. They have developed a mentality to get everything free from Government or the Society. Besides government grants and subsidies, the Rajghat population has an added advantage. Being 100% Muslim population the well to do Muslims give a 2.5 % of their surplus income for Zakat to the poor Muslims of the village. With Government largesse added with Zakat the BPL families are almost leading a secure life without any vision for the future. Most of the families above BPL are oblivious of the value of proper education. They engage the male offspring in petty trade and business after they drop out from school which adds to family income immediately. As a result, most of the families do not take personal care in studies of their children at home. Whatever teachers teach at school is all that the students have. The guardians do not take any care about learning of their offspring. 

HaFSA investigated as to why teaching by quailed teachers in school (teacher student ratio1:39) was not enough. Under present system of education corporal punishment is prohibited. In order to discipline students, teachers do not have options to resort to corporal punishment like canning, flogging, pulling ears or spanking of old days or other softer punishment. There is no parental pressure on the students at home also. Many guardians even do not know in which class their children are in. There is no proper environment of education in the society and there is no peer pressure. To cap it all, the guardians act as spoilers and provide their children with smartphones at a young age which further distracts the attention of students. 

The presentation given by Dr. K.D Krori retired Principal Cotton College and a renowned educationist of Assam during inauguration of Shrimanta Shankar Academy, Dispur in 1995 is relevant in this context. According to Dr.Krori primary education is like a triangle where the school represents the base arm of a triangle and two side arms represent the students and guardians each. Teachers teach in the school, students learn at school and guardians guide and help the students at home. The learning process fails if any arm of the triangle is weak. Here the guardian arm of the triangle is almost nonexistent.

This leads to a question. Are the guardians of Rajghat village irresponsible? The experience of HaFSA shows the position. The Hafsa Maktab was also started in the HaFSA Coaching Academy building on March 22 -2021 with 44 students taught by a lady Mudarris with a monthly fee of Rs.100/per student of above poverty line families. The classes were held from 6.00 am to 8.00 am. Here the attendance of students was 100% every day -both BPL and APL families. The guardians were paying fees and sending the students to Maktab every day for their children to learn the basics of Islam and become good Muslims. The same guardians were not doing the same in case of school education. It is their considered decision and matter of priority, perception and attitude. 

Students of Hafsa Maktab with the lady Mudarris.

Muslims of India accepted modern school education with founding of Aligarh Muslim University decades after modern education was first introduced by Governor General William Bentinck in 1835 on the basis of the Lord Macaulay Minutes. Modern School education in Bark Valley was introduced in 1863 with the establishment of Silchar Government Boys High School. During 1891- 94 out of 140 students in the school only 17 students were Muslims. Bam Nitya Nanda High School of Bam Dholai nine km north of Rajghat was started in 1938. But only four or five Muslim students were going to this School in 1958 even as Muslims constituted nearly 50 % population in the hinterland of the school. Higher education in Cachar district (Hailakandi included) was introduced in 1935 with the establishment of G.C College in Silchar with 51 students. During the first 25 years of the college only about 50 Muslim students had gone to the G.C. College. This is obvious that Muslims of India have a mind block towards modern education and are awfully slow to adjust with the changing ideas and thoughts.

Islam gives education a high place. Various verses in Quran and various Hadith emphasize the importance of education for Muslims. Perhaps the Muslims have perceived these mandates of Quran and Hadith as theological education only and are ignoring general education.

HaFSA has learnt that before making any dent in the existing scenario it is necessary to change the mind set and attitude of guardians towards school education. HaFSA has launched a movement to popularize the concept of quality modern education among the rural people. The campaign is headed by an Advisory Council consisting of Sabir Ahmed Choudhury, Retd Professor MC D College Sonai, Jalal Ahmed Mazumdar, former Chairman Silchar Development Authority, Dr. Baharul Islam Laskar, Principal M C D College Sonai,Ms.Sulekha Dubey, Retd. Headmaster, Bam Bidyapith High School, Bishnu Ranjan Dhar, Principal M. A. Laskar Sr. Secondary School, Shamsul Hoque Barbhuiya, Headmaster, Bam Bidyapith High School-all from the locality and committed for the HaFSA mission of spreading modern education in rural areas. With the sustained effort of the Foundation a change in the mindset of people is sure to take place in long run.

There is no shortcut in social engineering. "If your plan is for 6 months, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate your children" - said Chinese philosopher Confucius. HaFSA is working to infuse this Confucius thought in the minds of villagers to motivate them to invest their time and money on the higher education of their children. It is not the lack of money with the villagers that their children do not get higher education. It is their lack of will to spend on modern education. The villagers have enough money for ostentatious social and religious spending. But when it comes to spending on the education of their children, they tighten their purse strings.

Sachar committee has succinctly put forward the plight of Indian Muslims when the report states that the position of Indian Muslims is lower than Hindu OBC people. But who is to be blamed for this? Muslims will blame the Government. But it was the Government which constituted the Sachar Committee. It was the Government which formulated various schemes for Minorities. In true sense Sachar Committee report was a diagnosis of the ills that was afflicting the Muslim Community. The various Government schemes were the medicines. But the patient has to take the medicine. In the Lower Primary Schools are managed by Managing Committees formed by guardians themselves. If the teachers are not teaching why are the managing committees not taking action. The guardians never ask the school teachers about the progress of their wards’ education even as they question teachers about proper utilization of school funds and mid-day meal materials. The government has also not carried out any cost benefit ratio analysis- a study to see the outcome of the government investment and take corrective measures. There is a need for social audit of the impact of these primary schools in the village.

Nobody can change the fate of a community unless the community decides to change their fate. In Barak Valley the educated, rich and powerful people have failed the community. They have failed to work for promoting modern education among the community. But there is a silver lining. Ahmed Ali, a rickshaw puller of Burunga, Patharkandi of Karimganj was instrumental in founding five ME schools, three LP Schools and one High School in the remote areas of Karimganj for which he found mention in Mann Ki Baat of Prime Minister. Time has come for educated, rich and powerful Muslims of Barak Valley to come out of their comfort zone and contribute their mite for educating the community and pay back to the society. Hafsa on its part will continue to work in this direction, gradually enlarge its operational area and collaborate with other individuals, groups and NGOs for the spread of modern education in rural Barak Valley. It is welcome sign that some well intentioned people have started evincing keen interest in the HaFSA Mission and making discreet enquiries.

Epilogue: The HaFSA experience relates to only one rural village of Barak Valley. The overall educational scenario in the entire rural Barak Valley is almost identical. The pass % of HSLC examination of provincialized High Schools in Rural Barak Valley is in the region of 40-50% thereby implying the poor quality of education in primary and secondary levels in rural areas all over the Barak Valley.

E-mail: Hafsaoutreach@gmail.com

This article was published in PMG Voice, Vol 2, a magazine of Progressive People's Foundation (PPF), Guwahati