Editor,
The education capital of the North East, Shillong, has brought Meghalaya to limelight for decades. Since the inception of the present MDA government, we observe a drastic strategical transformation in education when the Chief Minister accorded education as ‘top priority’ of his government. The tag is conveniently being reiterated by the education minister in his speeches. It’s a much befitting move worthy of applause.
As an educator who delves into the holistic ramification of educational programs, I see that for the rural populace these programmes are not worth a hill of beans. We cannot deny the positive externality brought about by schools in villages but what is concerning is how education is treated as a luxury they cannot afford. Despite the efforts of the central and state governments to make education accessible to all, it is still not warmly welcomed into a rural household. The reason is only understood when we put ourselves in their shoes.
I once saw a student sacrificing his 40 minutes lunch break to fetch water for the neighbouring tea stall, earning twenty rupees; the least he could do for his struggling parents. Like him there are many other children who have to take physical labour to help support the family. The grip of poverty is strongly felt in rural society and silently cripples the child’s education and takes away the zeal for learning, thereby exhausting his mental strength for scholastic learning activities.
While the government intensifies education infrastructurally and instructionally, the receiving end at the rural level are too tied up with their fight against poverty. This is where government intervention is needed most to ease the burden of poverty so as education may have its chance on the rural youth and their future.
