Realization of Right To Education at Grass Root: Pedagogy of Oppressed

Realization of Right to Education at grass root: Pedagogy of
oppressed
Ms. Shruti Nagvanshi and Ms. Shabana Khan
The dream of marginalized people in Belwa village of Varanasi, India to

educate their children was fulfilled with the inauguration of school by the
Elementary education officer (BSA) Mr. Pradeep Kumar Pandey on 7 th
August, 2009 at 11:30 AM and with the exceptional contribution of Mrs.
Reshma Devi, local resident of Belwa village. She donates her own land
and JMN/PVCHR born the expense of the registry of the land. The
inaugural session was witnessed with the key staff of PVCHR, Ms.
Loreine B. dela Cruz (Lou), Chairperson of Balay, Philippines and Ms.
Frauke Bergmann, interns from Germany and many teachers from
nearby Government school and respected people of the village.
Representative of Bal Panchayat giving view
Before this Government school, as a go-stop activity Jan Mitra

Nyas/Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) establish
autonomous centre known as “Sant Kabir Jan Mitra Kendra” on 27 th
July, 1997 to educate 200 children of the Karkha, Barepur, Hatiya and
Natan and 116 boys and 101 girls starts getting the education. The
centre was financially supported by Child Right and You (CRY), Sir
Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), Raj Dulari Foundation, Sweden and library
with the support of ASHA as direct support to children. At the same time,
PVCHR organized the peoples’ centric advocacy and campaign for right of
education at grass root level which is supported by VOP and AHRC.
On 3rd September, 2002 villagers demands with the administration to

open one primary school. The Assistant Elementary education officer in
the letter no/71-72/2002-2003 dated 6 May 2002 and dated 24
February 03 on duty S.D.I. and on 21 March 2003 BRC co-ordinator visit
the area. In the report he stated 211 children were present in the school
and this ghetto was marginalized with the education due to the politically
biased enmity.
Inaugural monument
Children organized child parliament in front of the district head quarter
on 8th August, 2003 and demands for school in their area. On 26th
August, 2003 tehsil diwas (day) 250 children walk 5 km from the Sant
Kabir Jan Mitra Kendra to the Pindra tehsil and report their demand to
SDM Pindra. SDM misbehaved with the children and ordered lathi
charge on the children and the villagers. Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi
convener of the PVCHR was detained under section 151and he was
release after 4 hours. Three others activist were charged under 107/16
for the legal proceeding.
The Children of the Belwa village are uncensoring themselves through

the children assembly (Bal Panchayat) known as “Sant Kabir Child
“through the street play, child magazine Bachho Ki Duniya and pen
friendship with the children of the Gottengen High School, Remscheid
Germany with the help of Ms. Helma Ritscher, Chairperson Indo-German
Society of Remscheid, Germany.
Mr. Rajendra Tiwari, present village head of Belwa village does not covet
to open the school, as he used to engage Mushars people as a bonded
labour in the his brick kiln factory. Mr. Gehru Musahar and Mr. Bothu
Musahar were released from bonded labour with the support of the
PVCHR; in this case Mr. Tripathi was sentenced to pay fine for resorting
to bonded labour in his brick kilns under section 374 of IPC crime no. 1
April 2002.
The struggle for the Rights in the Belwa village was sturdy. Several times
PVCHR activist received threatening phone calls to stop human rights
work “if you raise the issue of starvation and hunger death then
you must be killed”, and that the staff of PVCHR would be charged with
false accusations in order to discredit the organisation and force it to
close down.
PVCHR had initiated several activities in Belwa village and several other
villages within Uttar Pradesh, with an intention to empower the lower
caste communities to make better use of the recent change in the state
administration favouring the lower caste communities in the state and in
India.
The PVCHR, along with the AHRC and other national and local human
rights organisations, organised folk-schools in these villages, starting
from Belwa. The PVCHR also invited the district administration as well
as officials from the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Scheduled
Caste and Scheduled Tribe to participate in these sessions. The member
of the Commission Mr. Rajbahadur Yadav participated in one of these
sessions held at Belwa on 21 May 2007.
In the meanwhile the PVCHR also promoted establishment of community

centers in these villages, of which the community centre in Belwa was
inaugurated by the then DM Mr. Nithin Gokarnan,which is used for
meeting of community as well as ICDS center at Musahar ghetto and
PPC center of SDTT-JMN at Patel ghetto.
Through our services, grass root campaign and peoples’ advocacy at

local-global level, the Belwa village is the model village as the child right
centric, vibrant democratic society against torture and organized
violence, which started sustain initiative for the fulfillment of the justice,
fraternity and the rule of law. Its influenced the marginalized at the
blocks and tehsil to uncensor and fight for their rights same as a stone is
thrown in the pond it shows the ripple effect. We remembered the quote
of Robert F. Kennedy in 1966 at South Africa "We all struggle to
transcend the cruelties and the follies of mankind. That struggle will not be
won by standing aloof and pointing a finger; it will be won by action, by
those who commit their every resource of mind and body to the education
and improvement and help of their fellow person."
For further information please visit the linkage:

http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2008/2744/
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/930408838
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=200704060
02911100.htm&date=fl2406/&prd=fline
http://infochangeindia.org/200610205661/Agenda/Hunger-Has-Fallen-
Off-The-Map/Why-Karmeena-Musahar-died.html
http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Dalit-tribal/2002/varanasi-dalits.htm
http://www.pvchr.org/actionalert.htm
http://www.article2.org/mainfile.php/0406/217/
http://www.hindu.com/2002/02/22/stories/2002022203020100.htm
http://www.ethicsinaction.asia/archive/2008-ethics-in-action/vol.-2-
no.-1-february-2008/can-human-rights-work-bring-change-the-story-of

Realization of Right To Education at Grass Root: Pedagogy of Oppressed

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Realization of Right To Education at Grass Root: Pedagogy of Oppressed

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Realization of Right to Education at grass root: Pedagogy of

Ms. Shruti Nagvanshi and Ms. Shabana Khan

The dream of marginalized people in Belwa village of Varanasi, India to

Representative of Bal Panchayat giving view

Before this Government school, as a go-stop activity Jan Mitra

On 3rd September, 2002 villagers demands with the administration to

The Children of the Belwa village are uncensoring themselves through

In the meanwhile the PVCHR also promoted establishment of community

Through our services, grass root campaign and peoples’ advocacy at

For further information please visit the linkage:

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