The Hindu Business Line : Leading the change

For the parents of 8-year-old Rahul, belonging to Kurli Kala Panchayat of Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh, education did not have any significance. But, today, Rahul is studying in class I along with his younger brother, Arjun. And this has been possible because of the efforts of the village’s tribal sarpanch, Maina Bai. She persuaded many parents to send their kids to schools.

Maina Bai herself is not educated, but she understands the importance of education. The women sarpanchs of several panchayats in Madhya Pradesh are now scripting a new story in the field of education. Nemichand, who works for the voluntary organisation Jansahas in Dewas district says, “So far, education was not an important issue for any panchayat. Generally, the panchayat did not give thought to any issue other than road and water. But now work is being done in the field of education and that too by women who themselves are not much educated.”

The four villages — Kurli Kala, Nimawara, Najipura and Kodankpura —under Kurli Kala panchayat have their own schools, thanks to Maina Bai’s efforts. She however faces continuous opposition from the panchayat secretary in this work. Ten-year-old Sandip says he likes to attend school because now the teachers teach daily.

Elsewhere, Ekta Jaiswal, who was elected sarpanch from Amlaha panchayat of Sehore district in 2001, had helped ensure education for 70 per cent of the girls in her panchayat. Ekta herself was educated, so she understood the value of education: “I visited homes to see if they were sending their girls to school.” The Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, has honoured Ekta for her work and declared her a special woman sarpanch. Ekta’s efforts are unique because she even taught for two years at the village’s government school without taking any payment. Even today she conducts classes for women at home and is not only making them literate but also motivating them to send their children to schools.

Equally inspiring is Sarpanch Baktari Bai of Harda district’s Jaimalpura village panchayat. Belonging to a tribal community, Baktari Bai herself has studied only up to class III but she makes every effort to ensure that children from her village go to school. She says earlier there were no teachers at the village school and this stopped the children from attending classes. Baktari Bai recruited two teachers for Rs 500 each, but even this was found inadequate.

The children worked in the fields and their parents did not want them to give up the work to attend school. Baktari Bai gradually persuaded the parents and the children to change their mind. Today more than 300 children in her village attend school.

Tribal sarpanch Parvati Bai Sacha, belonging to village Dayalnagar of Bhalai Kala panchayat in Dewas district, donated her land for the construction of a school. Today she keeps a watchful eye over the school’s functioning.

Kusum Kushwaha of Mahrauch village panchayat in Satna district is also one such sarpanch who makes every possible effort to see her village children educated. In a backward State like Madhya Pradesh, these women are trying to bring a radical change in the field of education at the grassroots level. What is noteworthy is that most of these women are tribal and uneducated, but this has not prevented them from fulfilling their dreams through these children.

More Stories on : Gender | Children & Parenting

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