Education in the Red Corridor of India

By Arundhati Joshi

The Naxal movement inspired by the teachings of Mao has been raging in the country for almost as long as we have known India as a nation. Left Wing Extremism (LWE), as it has been labelled by the government has its footholds in several districts of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. In total 90 districts are affected by the insurgency as per a Ministry of Home Affairs report.

With its spread over multiple states in the country, the Naxal-Maoist movement has affected a lot of lives. Most strikingly it has affected the lives of the children living in these areas. The grim reality of these children has been of getting in between the cross fires of the Naxalites and the security forces which has led to a total instability in their lives. Children are prone to attacks, injuries, abductions, trafficking, intimidation, recruitment, abuse and other forms of exploitation. On top of their hardships these children live in a state of endemic poverty with no recourse to a better life due to lack of developmental infrastructure aiding such a process.

The late 2000’s and early 2010’s saw extreme violence in these areas with schools getting bombed and blasted by can-bombs as a common modus operandi for being used as security forces stations. The Supreme Court in its judgement in State of Tamil Nadu vs Union of India and Others clearly restricted the occupation of school premises by the armed forces in order to adhere to the objectives of Right to Education (RTE). The Security forces have explained this situation that these buildings provide them strategic advantage and also allow them to be in close proximity to the children whom they can protect. Whatever may be the reason for the encampment and violence, in the end the group affected the most have been the children.

The only recourse that these children could even think of to lead a better life in the future is through education. It could be a powerful instrument of social, economic and political change. But the circumstances have led to a total breakdown of proper educational infrastructure in the area. The current state of the education system is in shambles with high dropout rates just after primary schools.

To see any long term and sustainably desired results for peace in the area is through the education of the masses. For one to improve something one has to look where it is lacking. The current shortfalls of the schools in the Naxal-hit area are several and very important to overcome for a better tomorrow for the children. There is inadequate infrastructure like lack of rooms, boards, benches etc and any essentials that may aid in a child having a proper schooling life. The bombed schools force children to enrol themselves in far-away schools which in the end steer them to dropout. Dropout rates are high in schools further from the villages and among Scheduled Castes, Tribes and girls in particular due to safety concerns. Young boys chose the option of finding work to earn money rather than going to school in an area which is highly volatile and may not be useful to them in the ensuing circumstances. Schools do not provide mid-day meals which as documented in other districts become the reason for children attending schools in the first place. There is a lack of drinking water, toilets and more importantly a severe shortage of skilled educators who could undertake the education of children residing in conflict hit areas.

Another major point for children dropping out of school is the distance they sometimes have to undertake to reach their nearest educational institute. The Right to Education Act does these children no good when so many factors are going against them in having a proper education. The Act has no provision for ensuring education in conflict zones which further creates an education deficit between worldwide learning realities and that of the war-ravaged children in the Red Corridor region. The lack of support even undermines the RTE in the area with concerns of survival overshadowing the need for education.

A very important point to note with regard to the teachers is their lack of understanding of the local culture, language etc which creates an imaginary divide between the educators and children and leads to a disruptive flow of communication. The teachers are either lacking or are inexperienced due to unsatisfactory pay, non-providence of training as per conflict zones, lack of security and improper infrastructure to support them in their endeavours.

The above-mentioned circumstances have aided the extremists as well as the government responsible to wipe out the insurgency by giving them the manpower they need to carry out their pursuits. The lack of proper education facilities has led to children joining the Naxal movement. The Chhattisgarh government in the years 2005 to 2011 aided and trained the Salwa Judum movement to counter insurgency in Chhattisgarh. Its members were local youth and children who were recruited to participate in the conflict and it led to massive bloodshed. The Naxal movement has led to a total disruption of the lives of the people of the area who have undergone an absolutely different life when compared to the rest of India.

The only way forward for the people of the area is through education and skill development to get them on the pathway to where the rest of the country is. The onus is now on the government, both at the state level and the centre to aid the process of building an educational infrastructure suitable for a conflict-ridden area like that of the Red Corridor. The region is in an extreme need for the dilapidated and bombed schools to be repaired so that children don’t drop out due to distance. There is extreme need for free transportation and residential facilities in places where distance is still a cause of concern for children and teachers alike coming from remote habitations.

The education system in the area also needs to be revised to accommodate and tackle the lack of pre-primary learning in the children who are usually first education learners with no help at home. Proper teaching facilities are extremely important which aid in creating educational programs that ensure the success of an indigenous child in a regular school environment. The focus should be heavily on conceptual understanding and application as well as skill development in older people rather than rote learning so that it provides them support to live a better life and not prove as a hindrance.

Several non-governmental organizations are doing excellent work to bring education to this violence ridden niches of the country. Their work should be applauded as well as taken inspiration from to assist the Naxal hit area have inclusive growth. This could only be achieved when the authorities and government focus on education for all, skill development and transparent governance in providing these to the masses. It is only through inclusive development aided by education can we focus on conflict prevention and peace building in the Red Corridor region of the country.