2011: THE UPRISING

Updated on: Monday, December 26, 2011

Contrary to the popular belief that the youth is carefree to the extent of being careless, the year 2011 has seen a tidal rise of its power. From social activism and on-ground initiatives to online platforms, the youth has made its presence felt this year.

Education Times through various stories and special features recognises the effort of the younger generation. Issues like girl child education, quality in education , inclusive education and even online learning require the attention of young change-makers .

Today, only 42 million children go to school while 200 million children between six and 14 years do not even complete eight years of elementary education.

"Education is the only powerful tool in any developmental process. It empowers the youth and is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process. Because of this one gains the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own as well as the lives of others ,'" says Rajan Welukar, vice-chancellor , University of Mumbai.

"Young people are agents of transformation ; they have the enthusiasm to take risks and move forward," he adds.

GENDER BENDER

Census data reveals that the ratio is worst in the zero to six years gap since independence; while it was 971 girls to every 1,000 boys in 1981, the ratio today is 914 to every 1,000 boys.

"We've collectively worked to change this ratio," says Rajashree Birla, chairperson , Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development (ABCCIRD). The ABCCIRD looks after 42 schools with 45,000 students of which 18,000 receive free education . The centre also provides counsellors and special amenities for girl students in various government schools. "It is critical that everyone has access to education, but there is a necessity to promote girl-child education, as they constitute half of the human resource ," she adds.

ALL INCLUSIVE

Academicians, sociologists and even parents of differently-abled children have been striving hard for their rights. Often, schools have to turn down applications of children with special needs due to inadequate infrastructure. "Schools need to invest in centres and ensure the presence of professional special educators to work with children with special needs. With time, about 90% of students with special needs can be a part of regular classes ," hopes Gowri Ishwaran, Padma Shri recipient and CEO, The Global Education and Leadership Foundation. "One must not forget that children with special needs are not just children with physical disabilities, but it also includes children with learning difficulties . Schools need to attend to their requirements as well," she adds.

SCHOOL FOR ALL

"With the youth being more sensitive to the psyche and the emotional needs of children, they can visit localities where underprivileged children live and provide them education in their language so that they can relate to their reality," suggests sociologist Sweta Ghosh. Standardisation of education for the privileged and underprivileged cannot be the solution for all the problems that presently exist in the educational system. Their daily struggles should be taken into account . "To ensure that equal education or at least 'standard' education can be imparted to these children, the entire system needs to be revamped," adds Ghosh. "The present infrastructural network is virtually defunct. The government has to ensure that a system which works is in place. Here too, the youth can act as agents of change and help run the system," Ghosh says. fering both a uniform platform. According to Welukar, open courses have changed the paradigm of information availability.

"Knowledge created in any part of the world is available to anybody and anytime no matter where he/she is. Online education is a platform outside the four walls of the classroom, giving students the opportunity to interact and connect to the world. It has become an essential element in education, whether formal or informal," he explains.

Ramesh Murthy, director, Sikkim Manipal University-Distance Education (SMUDE), agrees to say that online education can also take care of faculty crunch to some extent. Blogs, analysis and student-chat on the online platform allow for knowledge-exchange and a cross-section of opinion. However , he points out that accessibility is the key factor if online education has to be a success .

- With inputs from Ruchi Kumar, Mumbai; Aaditi Isaac, Delhi; Devlina Ganguly, Kolkata; Geetha Rao, Bangalore

Times of India

2011: THE UPRISING

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