THE SHATTERED DREAMS

it was a rainy afternoon in a nondescript govt. high school in coastal Orissa. the teacher showed his curiosity to know the aspirations of the students about their future. half aware of their limitations the students expressed their dreams of themselves. some said to become school teachers and some to join police as constable(few expressed to join the upper echelons of police) and most of the girls opted to become nurses and others as housewives.

That was the dream. but the stark reality came into being when the matriculation results came out. only 5% students passed the exam which is regarded as a lifeline. it was not that the students were not capable of clearing the exam but it had much to do with the school system itself. the paucity of teachers and lack of quality education completely demotivated to pass the exam. this trend is more or less continuing since 20 to 25 years. THE GROWTH OF INDIA TO BECOME A GLOBAL POWER HAS NOT CHANGED ANYTHING IN THAT AREA. THIS IS THE STARK REALITY OF MOST OF THE RURAL INDIA.

later most of the boys turned out to be plumbers and plywood workers in the cities as migrant workers and the girls as housewives. the small dreams which once they had died with it. not only they are leading a precarious life in the cities but also life devoid of dignity. the promise in our constitution to provide every citizen the opportunity to grow holistically seems have forgotten these poor guys.

so the hullabaloo of India emerging as a global power seems only confined to the cities and towns.the only life line for a rural student to come out of the vicious circle of poverty, indignity and helplessness is QUALITY EDUCATION. but by not providing QUALITY EDUCATION, the SOCIALIST STATE is throttling this LIFELINE. the representatives of these doomed areas are leading happy-go-lucky life due to the ignorance of these people.

the government should go beyond its policy of bringing literacy only. it is time to open at least a QUALITY school on the lines of kendriya Vidyalaya or JNV in every block in the rural districts and providing skill development so that they can get an dignified employment. this should not be confined to policy formulations only. all the stakeholders and implementors should come forward to do their DUTY PROPERLY. we are not asking them to do more. it is about lakhs of future citizens of our country and about the principles enshrined in our constitution.

CAN THE GOVT. AS WELL AS THE STATE GUARANTEE THAT THE CHILDREN OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED ILL-FATED PERSONS OF INDIA CAN DREAM AS WELL SUCCEED IN THEIR DREAMS. LET'S BRIDGE THE DIGNITY-DIVIDE.