Kerala Summit on Primary Education" Inaugural Address: Dr. NA Karim(Ex-pro vice-chancellor, Kerala University)
Key Note Address: Mr. Kuripuzha Sreekumar (writer, poet) Inaugural Session " challenges of primary Education in Kerala" Mr. C P. John (CMP, former Planing Board Member)
Inaugural session Session on " RTE and Kerala"- Dr. Thilak (KSSP)
" challenges of primary Education in Kerala": Mr. Gopakumar (SUCI)
"globalization and primary Education" - Dr. Vargese George (socialist Janatha)
"globalization and primary Education"- Mr. P S .Rajashekaran (KSSP)
" challenges of primary Education in Keral"- Mr. Civic Chandran (Activist, Writer)
"primary Education and Marginalized"- Mr. Sunny M Kapikadu (New Democratic Movement)
"primary Education and Marginalized"- Rajikumar KT (janamunnettam)
"open session on CSS" "open session on CSS"
"Primary Education and marginalized" - Mr. amu- (Thambu)
" RTE and Kerala" -Mr. Ajaykumar VB (Janamunneettam) "primary Education and Marginalized" - Mr. Sreekumar Srayikkadu (Theeradesh Samrakashana Samithi)
"globalization and primary Education" - Mr. Santhosh (janamunnetam)
" challenges of primary Education in Kerala"- Mr. Madhu Narayanan (Janamunnettam)
Welcome Note: Mr. Raghu Eraviperur (Janamunnettam)
As we analyze the Government of Kerala budget of 2010-2011, we can conclude that the Budget on the whole is more or less silent regarding the rights of children who constitute a considerable portion of the population in the state.
It has been evident from Kerala state budgets of recent years that Children are not considered as a segment of population requiring their own place and rights. This Budget of 2010 - 2011 too has failed to acknowledge Children as a significant entity by themselves.
There is no doubt that in society, it is the social and economic concerns and priorities of the dominant mainstream society that becomes seen as the ‘public consciousness’ and ‘public opinion’ and assume political prominence. In that sense Children and their issues are never taken into account as a significant social entity that need to be addressed and this is evident in Kerala society.
Infact if we look at it, on the one hand, it is the long years of historic struggles, raised peoples’ opinions and voices and constant engagement with public consciousness in Kerala around the issue of Gender Justice and Environment Rights/Green Polity that has resulted in some mention and allocation towards the issues in this year’s Budget.
While on the other, Child Rights is not being seen as a core priority and there is a serious lack of consciousness which is reflected in the Budget.
In this context some of the highlights of the Budget in our critique is as follows:
1.The Economic Review Report released by the Planning Board just before the State Budget stated that there are 3661 Schools in Kerala which have been declared as UNECONOMIC for the year 2009 -2010. This means that 28.98% of the total number of government and aided schools in Kerala or in other words One Fourth of the total schools in the state are on the verge of closure!
2.Current data shows that 1, 20,142 children are in these schools and of them close to a staggering 40.45% belong to Dalit and Adivasi communities. This alarming situation which denies the basic right to education for children of marginalised communities has been completely ignored and the Budget does not even address this grave issue.
3.Only 1.67% of the total outlay of Rs. 10000 cr has been allocated for education! Education which needs to be a focal point for the Nation has been totally disregarded. Such disregard will lead to the creation of dangerous conditions where the real development of the country is concerned.
4.The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill of 2009 has also been sidelined and there is not even a reference to its implementation in the State Plan and Budget.
5.Children below the age of 14 constitute 29.1% of the population in Kerala and if we consider the age of 18, this will become an even greater significant portion of the population. But there is no effort in the Budget to address the rights of this vast majority of the population.
6.Children are considered only as ‘Students’ and School education has been allocated a tiny part of the budget. A child who is not a student does not have any reference in the budget.
7.While Education is one among the rights entitled to children, other rights have been completely ignored.
8.The rate of criminal offences/atrocities against children in Kerala is 29 while the national average is 14 with this disturbing trend growing year by year. The Budget does not allocate any priority to the prevention, rehabilitation or building awareness on such violent crimes against children.
9.As per unofficial estimates, there are 10 lakh migrant workers now in Kerala and most of them have migrated with families of which many are children. Most of these children are child laborers with no access to education, health and other rights. The Budget remains silent on the education and rehabilitation needs of these children
10.If we look at budgets of the previous years, there is a gradual decline of budget allocation for Public Health. The current Budget also follows the same trend.
11.Kerala has witnessed a series of epidemics which has claimed many lives in the recent years, and many experts in this field point out that Morbidity among people growing. If we link these two aspects it points to the utter failure of the health system in the state. There is no proposal in the Budget for long time solutions to address this issue.
12.There is only 6 specialty hospitals for women and children in Kerala with no allocation for more such hospitals.
13.The expense for accesses to the Public Health delivery system has now been linked with the concept of Insurance! The Budget gives complete support to such a concept and has allocated money for the same. We believe in the long run, it is a plan of the State to withdraw from the government responsibilities on public health.
The public meeting/conventions/ organized by Janamunnettam along with many Civil Society organizations, on 25th and 26th of January 2010, concluded successfully in 7 districts of Kerala.( we are not able to conduct programs in Pathanamthitta as per the plan since the Police refuse give Sanction). The call for a public gathering to uphold constitutional values and protest against kerala government’s educational policies which negate the educational rights of the poor by declaring 3414 Schools are uneconomic, received tremendous responds from the civil society. With in the limited span of time we are able mobilize more than 25 organizations as the co organizers of the programs. An average of 200 people participated in each district. Organizations and peoples also express their solidarity through phones, Emails, SMS etc.
The recent educational policies of Kerala Government tend to negate the educational rights of the poor. The education department has already announced that 3414 schools which having most of the students from economically and socially backward communities, are ‘uneconomic’. The department has also released the list of uneconomic schools in all the 14 districts. The low number of students in these schools is the reason behind defining them as` uneconomic’. But it is shocking that a large number of students are being enrolled in unaided/privet schools which are mushrooming all over surrounding of these schools.
We have to realize that this trend is an indication of gradually closing down of schools where most of the children from Dalit, adivasi, fishermen and other backward communities depending. The lack of facilities in government schools can be understood as a conspiracy to drive the children to the private schools and to complete the process of privatization. The welfare activities of the state which are considered as people’s rights are being abandoned one by one and the private monopolies are being encouraged to take over these sectors. This is against the values of our constitution. It has to be understood as a plot to negate social rights of the children of the poor who depend on government schools, by driving away them from all educational rights.
Various curriculums implemented, breaks our society into pieces. A democratic state hasn’t been able to provide an equal and high quality education to the people yet. It is very suspicious that the experiments on syllabus and pedagogic practices carried out in government schools are not being done in private schools. While the education of the poor is overturned by irresponsible experiments the rich get quality education. It isn’t difficult to understand the intention behind this.
We are nearing another republic day at a time when the state policies continue to negate the rights of the people. It is high time that people come together to protest against privatization and regain their constitutional values and restore the democratic rights granted by the constitution.
In this context, NAFRE (National Alliance for Right to Education)is organizing public gatherings all over south India raising the above issues. As part of the program, JANAMUNNETTAM the Kerala Alliance of NAFRE will hold discussions on educational rights in 8 districts. The discussions will be held on January 25 at Trivandrum, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and Kozhikode. Distinguished persons from different areas will participate in the program. We request your support for this endeavor.
