An Ideal Gurukulam at Gudem is an initiative in

slumber?
DO YOU KNOW?????!!!!!...A real story- Private business and Public
Examinations

Exerts from initial report of the workshop organized by UNICEF

and Administrative Staff College on India- ASCI, Hyderabad. The
theme “ Promoting Quality Education for Children Belonging to
Tribal Communities in A.P” on the 27th and 28th May, 2009 at
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam …

Andhra Pradesh has made steady progress during the last decade in
elementary education: the state can boast of near universal access, a GER
of over 100% and claim near gender parity at the primary level(Gender
Parity Index (GPI) rests at 98%) (DISE 2005-06). The transition rate from
primary to upper primary is nearly 90%. Indeed, the statistics support and
reflect the fact that the education scenario is undergoing a social
transformation. There is an ever increasing demand for education and
commitment among parents and communities to send their children to
school. For the first time, large numbers of dalit

(low-caste) and adivasi (tribal) children are enrolled in primary schools

encouraging an unprecedented expansion of the school system. This
education expansion has been supported by significant public outlays, both
at the national and state levels.

In the sphere of elementary education, the Andhra Pradesh government

has undertaken several measures to reach out to tribal communities.
These include, Girijana Vidya Vikas Kendras with standards I and II in areas
where ‘primitive tribal communities’ reside; mandal (sub-district) level
elementary schools; special residential schools called Ashram Schools
mainly in tribal areas; the ‘Alternative Schools’ etc., and monitoring
systems such as the School Complex System. There have also been some
special programs such as bridge courses and back- to- school initiatives for
dropouts.

However, studies show that several issues have to be addressed

simultaneously in order to ensure the right of all ST children to a good
quality education. Some of them include physical access to schooling,
limited hostel facilities, seasonal migration, lack of trained teachers and
lack of convergence between different government departments. There are
other constraints too.
In this broad context, a proposal is made for a participatory review,
organizational assessment, and advocacy for quality education of children
belonging to tribal communities. It is proposed to critically take stock of the
situation in Andhra Pradesh, and identify priorities for future action.

“Even my teachers do not know the answers to your questions, sir”

His eyes twinkling with pearls of tears, this was the final innocent response
of Mallaiah. He must be around 13 years studying in the 8th class at Andhra
Pradesh Residential School near Sileru- 60 kilometers from Gudem. I was
on my way solo trip from Chatti camp in Chinthur Mandalam of Khammam
District in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh to Gudem Camp of
G.K.Veedhi Mandalam in Visakha District, in my Bolero Car. In my routine
practice, I gave a lift to the boy who was going on leave to his home at
Gudem, since he was sick. In my usual practice, I started asking him simple
questions about his lessons in the eight’s class. He was fumbling to respond
to every question. All his teachers belong to his own adivasi community.

Would Ambedkar forgive this?

Around the same time- March/May 2009, there were examinations going on
at the Junior College in Paderu- Tribal Agency Divisional Head Quarters in
Visakha District, conducted by Ambedkar University. This was of Open
University, most of those attending examination are employees and
most among them are teachers from tribal communities. In it is an
interesting open secret that few are distant places like Guntur. They attend
these examinations to get ‘a certificate of having passed’ so that they
become eligible to get confirmation of their temporary posting, get scales of
routine permanent staff and promotions. Incidentally, my colleague S.Latha
also appeared for her second year B.A. examination and I happened to pick
her from Paderu to Chinthapalli office of ours. Her native village is Kothapalli,
nearby Paderu and she had gone on leave to write the examination. During
the course of our chat on the way, it provoked my curiosity, when she said
that people from far off Guntur and Vijayawada town come to Paderu for this
examination. I started digging for more information. She started spilling the
beans out. She did not reveal the correct figure, but made substantial
payment to the syndicate of lecturers in the college. And every person
makes this payment as a rule. In return the examining lecturers not only
allow them to copy but also provide slips to ensure that they pass in the
examination, for sure. But, it is still an enigma to me that the entire game is
so fine tuned that most of the students just pass in the examination, but
never secure first or even second Class in these examinations!!!

Caught helplessly in the Web?

With this back ground information, I started gathering more information

seriously from the bare 12 student Children with my Ideal Gurukulam at
Gudem, about their past performance. I had at my Gurukulam two graduates
wanting to upgrade their competencies in English and computer, two
Intermediates and eight upper primary levels of student children. (The
Gurukulam as on today- January 2010 has gone to slumber)

Vanthinbha Puspalamma, has passed in her B.A. General in Telugu Medium. I

started passionately knowing her ambition to become a teacher. The initial
expression of hers was natural. But, as my probe proceeded, her feeling of
guilt could be seen in her cute ever laughing eyes. The guilt arose, because
of the fact that she may get a job by virtue of her degree certificate but she
is not competent in reality to either educate or enable the children to learn.

She did not know how much, but her warden did not give her due scholarship
amount to her at the end of the year, after the examination as was the
practice. As I understood from her, her periodic scholarship goes to the
warden during the year. The warden would meet their boarding and other
expenses. Normally, every year they get in the end around Rupees sixteen
hundred to take home. But, no one would get it in the last year, since all are
allowed to copy freely in the examination. Even the visiting vigilance squads
get paid to turn their eyes other side and get away.

Interesting difference between just mentioned Ambedkar University

examinations and these routine examinations is that the invigilating
lecturers do not they give slips. They only allow copying and protect them
from squad’s onslaught, for a price. The students must use their copying
skills and muster support from friends or relatives to get their ranks, pass or
even fail in the examination. In the game, pass is not guaranteed.

She positively asserted that all the students are good and nice people, When
I questioned her that why she made this bribe, being a really good person
and nice girl. It is a helpless web like situation, they care caught in.

Now, I proceeded my cross examination with her. At the literal zero

competency, how can she become a teacher and teach the children? Is she
prepared to cheat the children? Does she really want to be one, a teacher?
She firmly said, yes! She proceeded saying that she has come to the
Gurukulam now, to gain the competency not only in the subjects, but in
English and computer. She would add value to her present paper B.A.
certificate by passing B.A. in First Class in English medium in one or two
years. She asked me to conduct the examination and certify that I am then a
real B.A. Only then she will apply for a teacher’s job.

THE BLISS, THAT WAS HER FINAL RESPONSE…!!!

I shot my final salvo, to only realize to my pleasant astonishment

that she would displace and take my place in this Ideal Gurukulam
at Gudem.

My
 salvo was that as a lone ideal and competent teacher, she will
still be helpless in her future schools conducting examinations. She must
become a party to the continuing corruption. She paused for few
moments to coolly say that at my age I should retire and give my
place to her. The tone was the bliss that is beginning in my life. I fondly
kissed in her head. I promised to put all my efforts in her success.

Similar was my confrontation with all the other students in the

Gurukulam, except that none were so outspoken to say that they
are going to compete for my position in my Gurukulam.

My ideal Gurukulam at Gudem is an initiative in

slumber?

The Gurukulam I started was a simple initiative of nurturing adivasi

students to challenge the non adivasi who are leading because of their
relative better command over English Language and computer. I wanted
our adivasi children to be equals with the outside world and play the life
game as equal partners. But, now I realize facing multiple and
multidimensional challenges, ahead.

Literally the present Education system in the adivasi areas is indoctrinating

in the tender minds of tribal children on how to be fraud, be corrupt and
violent!!!

They
 are taught to become fraud by copying in the examination.
They
 are taught in corruption through helplessly paying bribe to
their teachers.

They
 and their mostly tribal adivasi teachers are taught to be
violent, if their copying is by any chance challenged.

The initial rationale in starting the Gurukulam?

The Need No.1 was Rejuvenating Volunteerism?

I started working with Tribal Communities from 1973.

My first formal initiative was to start Non-formal Education. Those

were the years, when India was an under developing country and the
growing literacy was urban centered. The Tribal communities were totally
illiterate. With a sense of patriotism, responsibility and itching volunteerism
in our veins, we- the educated from the cities started moving to rural and
tribal areas. We eventually organised ourselves as legal entities as a Public
Society- a Voluntary Organisation. (Today (2010), when I look back, it is
surprising to note the despiritualisation that has crept in by our conversion
to the so-called NGOs over the years). What I started in 1973 as community
initiative started becoming project initiatives from 1977, with project funds
started flowing to our Voluntary Organisation.

The vestige of community initiative remained during the initial decade

and we worked as a team of Volunteers, commune and family with most in
our organisation drawn from the Tribal communities. We directly nurtured
three Voluntary Organisations over the years, since 1977- Girijana Seema
Welfare Association, Chaitanya Shravanthi and Girijana Prajala Sangam
serving over 250 villages in Khammam, Visakha and West Godavari Districts
in Andhra Pradesh agency areas. We enabled over 2000 children to join
schools, provided assured irrigation to over 10,000 acres, provided
emergency health care etc etc.

But, from the second decade… our mindsets started changing from one
of a team of Volunteers to employer and employee relationship.

For me, the last five years from 2004, were valuable, eye opening,
educative but traumatic years. From January 2009, I am left alone (plus
two or three more innocent followers), all the others leaving the
organisation, since I indirectly precipitated a crisis by not actively pursuing
for funds from funding agencies.
I stepped out forcefully from all my Executive and Legal responsibilities in
all the organisations throwing a challenge to any person known or not so
known to take the responsibility of taking further the Formal Voluntary
Organisations that were initiated by me. I also ensured that all the
members of the General Bodies of these Organisations also resign to pave
way for totally new blood to take the responsibilities.

In course of these processes and developments, which started in January

2009, all left the organisation insisting they be paid salaries. I offered them
livelihood and stay in our campus in commune life. I tried to persuade
them invoking their initiation in the organisation as paid volunteers and it
is not correct to leave as employees. .

The Need No.2 was to responsibilities the Adivasi Communities and

their Youth?

In the new millennium, India has become almost a developed

country.

In our target area, there are many graduates, educated and even profitably
employed. But, ironically, what was a rich and poor divide between urban
and rural areas has seeped into not only the tribal areas but also within their
families. The area is growing richer but majority are in poverty.

I WANTED TO EXIT- CHANGING MY ROLE COMPLETELY TO RELATION

TO THE COMMUNITY

I wanted to exit and hand over the three Voluntary Organisations to the tribal
communities led by their Educated Youth. The Community Youth have
basic potential skills to implement any project or activity. In my
opinion, all the Voluntary Organisations- the so called NGOs that
were started from outside should no more implement a
development project or activity. The Community can help
themselves forming their own Voluntary Organisations. With the
Panchayath Raj Act in place, these Institutions will have to be supported
by such citizen’s initiatives, that I call Community Based Voluntary
Organisations- CBVOs.

I wanted to exit with Zero Budget/No funding, since it was my desire they
regain the community initiatives which is more possible in the changed
scenario, with the growing prosperity in the area and among the tribal youth.
What is needed is their capacity building to fit their traditional
mode to modern requirements.

Based on the strength of their stake/contribution, the community

can draw independently the external funding support on demand, to
be sustainable.

In fact, there are already false imitations made by little educated tribal
youth to start NGOs to in fact become self employed or even make money
or propped-up by funding agencies, but are totally depending upon the
patronization of non-tribal led NGOs and god fathers like me.

The
 irony is that the very few really better educated are not
opting to initiate Voluntary Organisations or NGOs or even initiate a new
Political Party.

They
 want to be in the comfort zone of a Government
Employment or get propped up by Non tribal Political Leadership to
adorn the reservation seats in the State Assembly or Parliament or get
politically appointed to different committees/corporations.

It is my desire and a value to make sure they remain as Voluntary

Organisations based on the following principles professed long
before by Mahatmas …

A Voluntary Organisation can remain and independently sustain as True

Voluntary Organisation, only if the following basic questions are
addressed.

The
 issue of providing livelihood to the Volunteers and be
sustainable.

If
 People Participate…become partners… to become a People’s
Movement, owned by them and thus the Community gets totally involved.

I quote the personal letter written by a Gandhian friend

Sri.G.Narayana... Gandhi asked his workers to adopt a Community/area and
do constructive work like Khadi, provide services such as Medicare, giving
tuitions, teaching Hindi etc… and find livelihood. The constructive workers used to
take care of political workers’ families whenever they were put in jails.

Similarly, Vinoba Bhave asked the Sarvodaya workers to adopt 200 families live
with them, introduce Sarvodaya Patras. The families were persuaded to everyday
take a pledge to serve the society on Sarvodaya Principles and contribute a fistful
of grains or small cash to support the Sarvodaya worker to carry on the
movement. Such contributions would take care of their expenses. The movement
would become a People’s Movement, owned by them and thus the Community
gets totally involved.)

We have Voluntary Organisations like Servants of People Society and

Servants of India Society started with lofty ideals and I quote what Lala
Lajpat Roy (not in his own same words) said “A Volunteer is one who opts to
lead a life Voluntarily Just above the Poverty line of the area/community
they want to serve”.

The Genesis of Gurukulam Born

After working for over thirty years and assuming to have developed a strong
second line, in fact I am left with no Second Line. With the face of the
Tribal Community having undergone huge change with Globalisation and
so-called Mainstreaming I realized the following setbacks in the past, in
developing the Second Line, especially from the Tribal-Adivasi
Community.

All
 these Years, I pursued with Individuals, who formed the Team.

At the end of the game the insecure feeling such individuals
perceived was that they do not fit to external mainstream options for their
fair livelihood of their choice, if at any time they want to pursue their life
career with the outside normal stream. They get struck, fixed and hitting
against the wall.

Our
 team work got overshadowed by Interpersonal relationships
and more emotional. We became more important than our work, in
managing our activities and projects.

Though
 we spoke about it, enough input was not made to develop
their competency in English and Computer.

The rationale and response to these two needs is starting the

GURUKULAM Education.

I pursue with the Team- the Students of GURUKULAM, wherein

individuals may come in and go out- but flow remains, the team will
gradually grow. Gurukulam per se shall not pursue any formal development
initiative through formal Voluntary Organisations.

Being
 students, the work of Voluntary Organisation is seen as an
extracurricular activity, while the curricular demands are met to seek
normal future career. Students with enduring spirit of Volunteerism as
they grow (may be even have their family) alone will become constant
people in the team.

The
 Gurukulam becomes a part of the chore in the
community and interactive. The students learn by
practicing/participating in the development responsibilities of the
Panchayath and even Mandal Parishads. Emphasis will be Social
sciences, while science will have the due place. Above all, the core
responsibility of managing Gurukulam rests with the community and
Local Self Governance.

Gurukulam
 by meaning is Community Life and will not give space
for any debates or negotiation on these often painful arguments that I
experienced in our Voluntary Organisations initiated by me.

It
 is a dilemma on how to give focus upon importance to command
over English Language and Computers, without compromising on the mother
tongue. In confusion, for the present I have chosen English as the medium of
schooling…rather Learning with computer as the main tool.

Why is it in slumber?

LET US ALL ANALYSE AND PLAN THE FUTURE AS A

RESPONSE
ONE KEY REASON IS, MY
LONELINESS???????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????!!!!!!!!!!