More than 500 guardians from Bankura and Purulia dustrics in West Bengal flock with their children to have their wards admitted in Parivaar residential institutions. Despite Eklavya residential schools by the Governments across the country, there is still a huge capacity shortage in grade 9 to 12.
The RTE (Right to Free and Compulsory Education) ends at Grade 8 and after that around one in four or even less successfully finish schooling in these areas due to long distance, costs and limited seats in schools.That’s the problem in most states. And Eklavya or even Navodaya, worthy initiatives while they are, basically remain merit based institutions.
Why should merit be a criteria for education? And pray what is merit afterall? Should not intent to get education be the only criterion if at all there has to be one. Merit is a highly dubious idea as now even more articulately brought to the fore by contemporary social philosophers like Michael J. Sandel (listen to any of his lectures) or better still read his work ‘Tyranny of Merit.’ While diabolical might be too strong and a little intemperate a word, one still feels that Meritocracy is a highly contestable concept.
Many people close to me, even among my extended family, have not unoften asked me why I dont venture into ideas like Super 30. I have long given up on making them see that I have no interest in Super 30 but in ‘Duffer 30 million’ (super and duffer are of course words from the hallowed lexicon of our ‘meritocratic’ middle classes)
Merit remains the unquestionable holy cow of our times. Be that as it may, Parivaar prides itself on educating those left by the ruthless and unfeeling sieve of merit, the discarded dregs.
PS : For the first time in 19 years Parivaar is feeling financial pinch to continue to serve more among poorest among poor. We have finally hit the funding plateau which I really wanted to hit quickly so that we can really be sure of what are our limits were. Now is the time to stretch. Its
