Sunday 30 March 2014

A Real Mockery On The Life Of Children by The Most Popular Government Initiatives-SSA & RTE




Our nation is not behind any other nations in making laws and programmes for the development of the nation especially for mainstreaming the vulnerable sections of the society.  The present day ingredients of developmental strategies such as Right based approach, people’s participation and bottom up planning are fundamentally part of any such initiatives by the state. But it is least concerned about the ground level preparation necessary for implementation, supervision and follow- up measures for rectifying the shortcomings.

All that prompted me to write is about the experience when I visited few schools in the rural villages of Gorakhpur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The main purpose of my visit was to discuss the possibility of involving the parents of children with disability in the School Management Committee (SMC) that Sarva Siksha Abhiyan envisaged to form and function to ensure quality education with the participation of the community. 

I was not surprised to hear from the head of the school that SMC happens ‘only on paper ’and no other  heads of the schools had a different story to present. They openly agreed all that the government wants to practice is ideal but practically difficult to implement. They say that it is known to the whole education department and neither the parents wish to bring about a change in the situation. It amused me to think of my purpose of visit to modify a system that does not exist at all. How can they include the people I want in a committee that is not functioning? Or what is the use including somebody as part of a committee that is not working for the real intent of its formation?

It was more interesting to see how children attend the class and attain their Right to Education. There was something to my amazement finding a single teacher ‘educating’ all the children from more than two classes (eg. Class one, two and three together). All the children were (in all the four Primary schools I visited) sitting on the floor together.  Luckily the teacher could find a chair and table to keep the teaching aids (a chalk, stick, attendance register and a notebook).  I did not discuss with the teachers the possibilities of Teaching Learning Materials for educating Children with Disabilities as it would be a fun for them rather than a matter of serious concern.

I also wanted to talk about making the school building accessible for Children with Disabilities and making the toilet accessible.  Before that I decided to see the present design of the toilet. To worsen the situation none of the school had a toilet where a human being can enter and use. The squalid and dismal condition of such toilets would make a person curse the Creator for giving a biological need that necessitates privacy and proper way of disposal. Some of the toilets were incomplete construction without urinal for boys. Some of the toilets were locked for long time where creepers had covered whole structure.

Inclusive education, making barrier free environment for the Children with Disabilities, preparing  teaching learning materials, making toilets with universally accessible design were my purpose of visit that I could not discuss with the teachers in the midst of the most wretched conditions children attend classes.  It was depressing  to see children sitting with blank expression on face, teachers ‘running’ the school and parents unaware or unmindful of the miserable days of their children and apathy of the education department that spend millions of rupees for basic infrastructure in the schools and quality education.  


Saturday 15 March 2014

A Child used to Eat Once in a Week as She Could not Access Toilet





Recently I attended training for the creation of access auditors at New Delhi. It was organized by CBM and Samarthyam, the National Centre for Accessible Environments.

It was during the break, I happened to talk to Anjlee Agarwal, the Executive Director & Access Consultant, Smarthyam. My intention was to know more about the possibilities of making public transport system including the trains universally accessible. Gradually the conversation led to her experience and finally to an awful story of a child with disability from one of the villages of Jharkhand.

I would like to share the incident that Anjlee narrated to me. It was during the workshop for Persons with Disabilities from the remote village of Jharkahnd. During the lunch break all the participants were moving to the dining hall and Anjlee found Shalu (name changed) sitting idle in the training hall. When she approached to know why Shalu did not join, she tried to escape from being asked about. Finally Shalu told, she did not want to have lunch, the further enquiry led to the revelation that she did not eat always. The conversation led to the fact that she ate rarely at home. Anjlee thought she did not get food due to poverty. But the further conversation led to the shocking reality. 

Shalu told her that she ate food once in a week and the reason was she could go to toilet once in week. Shalu, suffering from loco motor disability was bedridden and her mother too was suffering from several ailments. Her mother could not lift her or do anything for supporting her to clear her stomach. There was neither an accessible toilet nor someone to support her to access toilet (there was no such thing at her home). The only option was not to go toilet, and for that she should not eat. Once in a week, her mother helped her to release the human waste keeping some newspaper under her body. Thus she had to undergo the dreadful experience and she controlled it herself by abstaining from eating.

Being a committed person working for the basic rights of every person, Anjlee made some arrangements for Shalu to access toilet with the available materials in the village. When she narrated the experience, her eyes were brimming with tears and I listened to her words with a heavy heart. 

I had heard, read, and seen malnutrition, poverty and hunger for various reasons. But it was shocking to hear the story of a girl starving for days as toilet was inaccessible to her which is a basic need of every human being. This led me to think about millions of aged, Persons with Disabilities, pregnant women (especially in the rural areas where there is no toilet) who might be controlling themselves, experiencing harsh realities as accessing toilet is a distant reality. I have seen women, children and now the Persons with Disability, while travelling by train controlling themselves during the journey without drinking water even if they are thirsty and limiting food even if they are hungry to avoid going to unhygienic toilet in the trains (which is inaccessible for Persons with Disabilities, children, pregnant women and people with reduced mobility).

The next day there was a demonstration to show how Persons with Disability find it difficult to access toilet, transfer from wheel chair to the water closet and the struggle to sit back on the wheel chair during the workshop. It was an eye opening session for me to see what I had not been sensitive about till then.

Finally my thoughts went on…I am growing old……or who knows one day my mobility would not be obstructed? Just a fall is enough to happen so.