Education is one of the most powerful human rights. It can help us realise our full potential, discover endless opportunities and empower us to live a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, many people can’t access quality education.
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), educational institutions, and private corporations are stepping up to fill the void left by the failure of the government to perform its responsibility. These include charitable village schools, for-profit aid-funded schools, for-profit businesses, and pricey private, fee-paying residential schools.
NGOs with a focus and experience on education, as well as financial assistance from individuals and corporations, have established schools in villages around Africa, India, and other countries in Asia that offer free education to children from marginalised groups.
As per Research conducted by International School in India, Sharing knowledge, connecting schools with the community and their natural and social environments, and engaging students in creative and activity-based learning are all used in teaching.
The teaching and administration of schools are actively participated in by the local community and other qualified professionals.
To support students in becoming lifelong self-learners, changes have been made to teaching strategies, testing procedures, and teacher preparation programmes.
Also Read : How Do Children With Limited Resources Face Inequality In Education?
Marginalisation In India
The debate over the lack of quality education for marginalised and disadvantaged communities has been going on for years. Over the years, many measures have been taken to improve access to education for such communities, but with little to show for it.
Today, there is a renewed push from governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local community groups to deliver better educational opportunities for marginalised groups. Some stakeholders are now calling for a focus on improving school infrastructure in disadvantaged areas, among other things.
The Indian polity, the largest democracy in the world, incorporates a tremendous amount of diversity into a civilisational ethos of tolerance, respect, and understanding. The population of India is 1.2 billion. Hindus make up 80% of the population of India, followed by Muslims (13.4 cents, or 138 million), and a sizable number of Christians (2.3 cents, or 24 million), Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, and other believers. Despite having 22 official languages, India is home to more than 1,650 varieties.
India is a secular nation with 1.2 billion citizens that is multi-cultural, multi-linguistic, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic.
India is also the most representative democracy, electing about 3 million people—more than one-third of them are women—to local self-government organisations.
Marginalisation is a big problem in India. It’s one of the most populous countries in the world and it has a lot of social issues that need to be addressed.
In India, marginalisation means being excluded from society. People who are marginalised often don’t have access to the same opportunities as other people do. They may not be able to go to school or get an education, they may not have access to healthcare and they might be socially isolated because they live in poverty or are homeless.
Marginalised people often face discrimination based on their race, gender or sexual orientation.
India has made steady economic progress over the past two decades, with sustained growth of 8.2 per cent during the past five years, yet poverty has only decreased by 0.8 per cent. Among 187 nations, India comes in at number 134 on the UN Human Development Index.
The Indian Constitution acknowledges socially outcast communities according to their Caste. Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), religious minorities, and women are discriminated against in the educational system based on their caste.
Kinds Of Marginalisation
Marginalisation is a broad term that describes a variety of social processes that occur when people, or groups of people, are excluded from the mainstream of society. This can happen in many ways, including:
– Through power structures and hierarchies, which favour some groups over others;
– Through cultural practices that exclude or devalue certain groups; and
– By denying access to resources such as housing, education and healthcare.
Marginalisation is of many kinds:
- Sex
- Age
- Disability
- Ethnicity
- Religion
- Caste
- Occupation
- Migrants
- Refugees, etc
But, sex, disability, ethnicity, religion, and caste are the main types of marginalisation.
Protection Of Minorities And The Disadvantaged Communities In India
The preamble of the Constitution of India is known as the soul of the constitution. It is known as the document on which the entire constitution is based upon. The preamble talks about certain terms, namely:
- Sovereignty;
- Socialism;
- Secularism;
- Democracy;
- Republic;
- Justice;
- Liberty and;
- Fraternity
The Indian Constitution upholds the principles of justice, equality, and universal freedom. The claim is supported by a series of articles, spanning from Article 14 to Article 32, that were adopted in Part III of the Indian Constitution’s Fundamental Rights section.
Article 29: Protection of Minority Interests
Minority groups’ interests are to be safeguarded under this provision.
Section 29(1): This guarantees the right to maintain any group of Indian citizens who speak a different language, have a different culture, or use a different writing system.
Article 29(2) states that the State may not refuse admittance to any individual solely based on their race, religion, caste, language, or any combination of these.
Article 30 – Minorities Have the Right to Organize and Run Educational Institutions
Minorities are granted the freedom to create and run their educational institutions. Also known as the “Charter of Education Rights,” Article 30.
Section 30(1): The right to form and run educational institutions of one’s choosing is guaranteed to all religious and linguistic minorities.
Article 30(2) prohibits the State from discriminating against any educational institution because it is run by a minority, regardless of religion or language, while providing funding to educational institutions.
What Happens When Quality Education Is Denied To Marginalised And Disadvantaged Communities?
Marginalised and disadvantaged communities are often kept out of quality education. They are denied access to what they need to succeed in life, and that can have serious repercussions on the community at large.
When people have no access to quality education, they are not able to move up in society. They end up working minimum wage jobs and living paycheck-to-paycheck without much opportunity for growth. And when this happens in a community where many people are facing similar circumstances, it can lead to an environment where crime flourishes. Without education, there is no way for these communities to progress.
The only way for them to break this cycle is by making sure everyone has access to a quality education system that will give them the skills they need to succeed in life.
When quality education is denied to marginalised and disadvantaged communities, they are denied the opportunity to become empowered. Without the ability to access quality education, these communities can’t break free from their circumstances, even if they have been born into them. They remain trapped in their prisons that were built for them by an unfair system which does not give them a voice or a choice.
State Of Government Schools In India
In India’s public schools, 55 per cent of fifth-graders can not read textbooks for the second grade in 2018. (ASER, 2018). Second, many families that can afford private education are sending their kids to those institutions. However, there is conflicting information regarding whether private schools in India increase exam scores.
Therefore, from a policy standpoint, it is crucial to comprehend whether boosting the calibre of public schools might result in better educational outcomes.
The state of government schools in India is not good. The government has put a lot of effort into improving the quality of these schools, but there are still many problems that need to be addressed.
One problem is that there are not enough teachers available to teach in these schools. There are also not enough facilities for students, such as books and computers. These issues can be solved by hiring more teachers and providing them with better salaries to afford to live in this expensive country.
Another issue is that many parents do not send their children to these schools because they feel they are not important enough or good enough for them. This could be solved by making sure all children have access to education because it is very important for everyone’s future life success.
Many things need to change before we can say that our schools are improving, but hopefully, one day soon we will see improvements across India!
Impact On Mental Health
For marginalised and underprivileged areas, access to high-quality education is a serious issue that hurts the mental health of the population.
The lack of equal possibilities for those living in these places causes feelings of inferiority, marginalisation, and social exclusion.
Depression, worry, and even low self-esteem may result from this.
Giving these groups the tools and resources they need for success, such as mentorships and scholarships, can help to enhance mental health in the area.
Early development is mostly epigenetic, although the biological material does not fully develop until the psycho-social environment, which also influences development.
According to a study, when children from privileged and disadvantaged castes were four to five years old, their performance scores were comparable.
However, as the children aged and had more years in school, the difference widened in favour of the children from privileged castes, creating a “torchlight effect.”
An infant born into a traditionally underprivileged caste has protein-calorie malnutrition, which may stunt his cerebral development.
Conclusion
Additionally, as long as specific communities and people are not getting access to what they truly deserve because they lack influence, power or position, discussions and investigations have to be made to inform the public of their specific needs.
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