Bharatiyam Charitable Organization: Full Context
We are now ready to accept that the climate in the world is changing and bearing the brunt of the effects of these changes is more painful to the poor. The resources of the poor are dwindling. The pace of life in general has increased dramatically. Many traditional occupations are slowly dying. They are not remunerative. Youth are reluctant to persist in them. Their parents do not want to them pursue them. In fact, there are no secure livelihoods now. A livelihood that is doing well today may not be viable or remunerative tomorrow. Further, sectors that employ large population are overpopulated and per capita returns are inadequate. Many of them need to be taken out of these sectors so that these returns increase. Further, the proportion of the consumer rupee that is received by the producer is reckoned at 20%. A mere 5% increase can take a majority of the poor out of poverty. Increasing in the more activities in value-chains could achieve this. This can be through collectivization! Credit access may help. Technology and skills may help. Linkages may help.
While service sector is growing, the poor are not able to tap these opportunities. Also, while new opportunities - urban, ICT, skill-based, soft skills etc. - are emerging, these populations are not able to tap them. Push migration, in the absence of remunerative livelihood, is still a grave concern. The population on the whole may be young but is graying. Tendulkar Committee confirms that one-third of Indians are poor. Nearly half of the population in rural areas is poor. High growth rate is not guaranteeing reduction of poverty. We also observe that the disparities and divides between the poor and non-poor are growing. New divides are emerging. In addition, the vulnerabilities are increasing. Marginalized and vulnerable population is not able to cope with them.
Government has introduced an act to provide employment up to 100 days a year any household that needs it. Food security bill has been approved by the Union Cabinet to offer 25 kg of rice/wheat@ Rs.3 a kg every month. Offering fish to survive ‘today’ is important but not enough. Fishing skills are required. Skills beyond fishing are required. National initiatives on Skill development for jobs and self-employment have begun on scale. It has been recognized that the poor have to be organized into their collectives for receiving various livelihoods services that include financial, market, technology, capacity building etc.
It has been clearly established that only way forward to help the poor to stay out of poverty for good is through education. Longitudinal studies over two-three decades, across the country, indicate that only education has ensured that people stay out of poverty. An educated employed person is surely and clearly out of poverty for good. They can acquire the skills to identify and tap new opportunities that are emerging. These opportunities are in jobs, in self-employment and in increasing the proportion of consumer rupee and/or augmenting the consumer rupee itself. If only schools are good and equipped.
Most families want to send their children to school now. Early enrollment in primary schools is near 100%. However, the number of students going forward and crossing Class X is reckoned at less than 30%. Only 10% of them are able to become graduates and post-graduates. May be a third of them are able to get secure and decent employment. The dropping out is continuous but mostly it happens during Class VII-Class X-Class XII. English and Mathematics push these students out most often. These are caused by multiple reasons including lack of adequate number of teachers in general (The teacher student ratio may be less than 1:50) and competent teachers in particular, no regular and periodic testing and feedback system, no study environment and support at home, lack of spirit of competition and excellence, lack of nutrition in the food they eat, etc. Some of the children may open books only when they reach the school the next day. Some of them may not have books to open, note books and pen to write etc. They may not even have a place to sit to read or do homework. Added to this, some of them may have to indulge in tiring physical labor. Further, we are aware that many a school, particularly away from the roads and towns, is not equipped with any learning material and tools.
While the recently passed Right to Education Act talks about compulsory education for all without discrimination based on merit or any other reason, it is stopping short at Class IX. Obviously we have a situation where our graduates do not have 3R (Reading, Writing, Arithmetic) skills. More than 90% of them are not employable. This has to change. How can we let so many young men and women funnel out of our education system? Fortunately they are bestowed with the best of the behavioral competencies - tenacity, self-control, strategic influencing and concern with impact. This would mean they have the potential. This needs to be nurtured and harnessed. Some more appropriate models of education need to be developed and spread.
Surely, some of the children are very bright, very different from the average child. We cannot afford to lose them. Their potential can be harnessed for the larger good with special education with care. These children need to be identified and supported in this direction.
Quite often we know that the issue is a little push makes the huge difference in the long run. Fortunately, many of us have been bestowed with the benefaction of the society. We got education. We could tap the opportunities. We are in a position of meeting all our needs. We may have a little surplus to share and care the society. To share and care the young men and women in the society so that they tap the opportunities before them! To become like us! We become important when we know that state is withdrawing from many of these services. When we know that Globalisation, Liberalisation, Privatisation are on accelerator. Payback to Society by us is the key driver.
Further, it has become clear now that the poor are entrepreneurial to survive under conditions of poverty. They have innate capabilities and a strong desire to come out of poverty. These capabilities of the poor are unleashed when they are provided sufficient capacity building and handholding support. Innate capabilities of the poor need to be complemented with capacities (information, knowledge, skills, and tools) to deal with the world outside, and access opportunities.
It is in this context, Bharatiyam is proposing to adopt villages, livelihoods, families, schools, and students and support them to journey out of poverty with the support from the individuals who want to payback to the society that has helped them to reach where they reached today.
While service sector is growing, the poor are not able to tap these opportunities. Also, while new opportunities - urban, ICT, skill-based, soft skills etc. - are emerging, these populations are not able to tap them. Push migration, in the absence of remunerative livelihood, is still a grave concern. The population on the whole may be young but is graying. Tendulkar Committee confirms that one-third of Indians are poor. Nearly half of the population in rural areas is poor. High growth rate is not guaranteeing reduction of poverty. We also observe that the disparities and divides between the poor and non-poor are growing. New divides are emerging. In addition, the vulnerabilities are increasing. Marginalized and vulnerable population is not able to cope with them.
Government has introduced an act to provide employment up to 100 days a year any household that needs it. Food security bill has been approved by the Union Cabinet to offer 25 kg of rice/wheat@ Rs.3 a kg every month. Offering fish to survive ‘today’ is important but not enough. Fishing skills are required. Skills beyond fishing are required. National initiatives on Skill development for jobs and self-employment have begun on scale. It has been recognized that the poor have to be organized into their collectives for receiving various livelihoods services that include financial, market, technology, capacity building etc.
It has been clearly established that only way forward to help the poor to stay out of poverty for good is through education. Longitudinal studies over two-three decades, across the country, indicate that only education has ensured that people stay out of poverty. An educated employed person is surely and clearly out of poverty for good. They can acquire the skills to identify and tap new opportunities that are emerging. These opportunities are in jobs, in self-employment and in increasing the proportion of consumer rupee and/or augmenting the consumer rupee itself. If only schools are good and equipped.
Most families want to send their children to school now. Early enrollment in primary schools is near 100%. However, the number of students going forward and crossing Class X is reckoned at less than 30%. Only 10% of them are able to become graduates and post-graduates. May be a third of them are able to get secure and decent employment. The dropping out is continuous but mostly it happens during Class VII-Class X-Class XII. English and Mathematics push these students out most often. These are caused by multiple reasons including lack of adequate number of teachers in general (The teacher student ratio may be less than 1:50) and competent teachers in particular, no regular and periodic testing and feedback system, no study environment and support at home, lack of spirit of competition and excellence, lack of nutrition in the food they eat, etc. Some of the children may open books only when they reach the school the next day. Some of them may not have books to open, note books and pen to write etc. They may not even have a place to sit to read or do homework. Added to this, some of them may have to indulge in tiring physical labor. Further, we are aware that many a school, particularly away from the roads and towns, is not equipped with any learning material and tools.
While the recently passed Right to Education Act talks about compulsory education for all without discrimination based on merit or any other reason, it is stopping short at Class IX. Obviously we have a situation where our graduates do not have 3R (Reading, Writing, Arithmetic) skills. More than 90% of them are not employable. This has to change. How can we let so many young men and women funnel out of our education system? Fortunately they are bestowed with the best of the behavioral competencies - tenacity, self-control, strategic influencing and concern with impact. This would mean they have the potential. This needs to be nurtured and harnessed. Some more appropriate models of education need to be developed and spread.
Surely, some of the children are very bright, very different from the average child. We cannot afford to lose them. Their potential can be harnessed for the larger good with special education with care. These children need to be identified and supported in this direction.
Quite often we know that the issue is a little push makes the huge difference in the long run. Fortunately, many of us have been bestowed with the benefaction of the society. We got education. We could tap the opportunities. We are in a position of meeting all our needs. We may have a little surplus to share and care the society. To share and care the young men and women in the society so that they tap the opportunities before them! To become like us! We become important when we know that state is withdrawing from many of these services. When we know that Globalisation, Liberalisation, Privatisation are on accelerator. Payback to Society by us is the key driver.
Further, it has become clear now that the poor are entrepreneurial to survive under conditions of poverty. They have innate capabilities and a strong desire to come out of poverty. These capabilities of the poor are unleashed when they are provided sufficient capacity building and handholding support. Innate capabilities of the poor need to be complemented with capacities (information, knowledge, skills, and tools) to deal with the world outside, and access opportunities.
It is in this context, Bharatiyam is proposing to adopt villages, livelihoods, families, schools, and students and support them to journey out of poverty with the support from the individuals who want to payback to the society that has helped them to reach where they reached today.