In what reveals the persistence of caste-based segregation of children in primary schools in rural Karnataka, around 13.7 per cent of Dalit children surveyed in the State have claimed that their teacher had asked them to sit separately from ‘higher caste’ children in the classroom, says a study released by the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Mangalore University.
Released on October 18 here, ‘Discrimination and social exclusion: A study on the development experience of Dalits in Karnataka’ was spread over ten taluks in Belgaum, Gulbarga, Chitradurga, Mysore and Kolar — chosen for their socio-cultural diversity and their considerable Scheduled Caste population.
Over ten months ending in July 2011, the study enumerated the harassment and discrimination faced by 2,425 Dalit families or 12,677 people in 50 villages, of which 825 families have children going to primary school.
Interviews with members of Dalit households threw up the same disconcerting facts in all districts, and the study concluded that the “practice of untouchability by teachers” was responsible for the segregation.
Discrimination is also seen during midday meals, with around 114 families admitting that their children have had to sit separately during lunch and were served in a separate set of plates.
Researchers have observed that school authorities disallow Dalit children from serving food or entering the kitchen.
Shockingly, while 72.8 per cent of the parents interviewed said their children have never been appointed class monitors, nearly 33 per cent of the parents said their children have been given the task of cleaning classrooms on a “frequent” basis and “during school functions and festivals”.
Though the survey reports a lesser degree of discrimination among the students themselves, it notes that just 31.4 per cent of Dalit children had been extended invitations to their ‘upper caste’ friends’ houses.
“When the Dalit children go to these houses, only some have said they have been allowed into the house. Even if they enter, they are only allowed up to the passage of the house,” states the study.
Higher education
Illiteracy remains a problem for the Scheduled Castes in the visited villages.
At 45 per cent, illiteracy is higher than the national average.
Even among the Dalit literates, the “access to professional and higher education is very low”: of those who can “read and write”, only 12.6 per cent had completed pre-university level courses; less than 1.2 per cent had gone on to complete diplomas and industrial training courses.
Keywords: Students discrimination, Karnataka schools
Untouchability is everywhere be it Karnataka or U.P. During Mayawati's regime when some high caste childredn boycotted the mid day meal prepared by some Dalit cooks Mayawati instead of dealing with it under the law simply withdrew the order for appointment of Dalit cooks. It in a way officially overlooked the practice of untouchability. actually there is a lack of political will to deal with untouchability even in government institutions. Dalit politicians are also no exception to it.
The religion of the majority populace of India has deep rooted hatred
towards the oppressed and downtrodden. India will never come out of this shadow of
discrimination as long as rule and law of the land are not given to the
casteless and justice loving people who practice the single religion of
monotheism and fear of the Almighty.
Your report is true. but your statement DALIT IN INDIA IS REALLY SAD is
a BIG WRONG.
See UP a DALIT CM. See AP also. Not everywhere is the same.
for god sake,these whole should be considered humanbeing and given proper respect,,,untouchability is crime against humanity ,it is strange it is happening in this age of modernity it is shame ful act,,
Bravo job by The Hindu. Still such condition prevails in India. Even
though People argue to stop caste based reservation claiming discrimination was there only during past decades and not these days
still such unfortunate tradition is carried over to generation by
generation.
There is no wonder if thses students who have borne the brunt of severe cast segregation turn into naxalites in the future.The strange practices reported no longer exists anywhere in the worl except India.If education cannot help get rid of the social evils from the minds of pople and inculcate values of respecting others ,what is the point of getting educated.The cast supremacy is even stronger educated.What is happening to the Dalit in India is really sad.
Adding to the woes,the young minds also are injected with venom of cast segregation
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