Diversity, Inequality and Marginalization in the Society and the implications for Education

Our whole nature is full of DIVERSITIES. It contains different kinds of organisms, plants and trees, topographies etc. which altogether increases the beauty of the Nature. Similarly, our society contains people of different races, abilities, language, eating habits, faiths, religions etc. and all these diversities are actually the beauty of our society. Different communities and people living in our society has different abilities and firsts. A Democratic organisation must ensure the security and equal development for all the diversities contained in our society. They must ensure the development for all in an equal framework. But our society has seen many faces of the entity and organisation in the order of development of human civilization. It has seen many predominant powers under whom, the weak has to adjust themselves. The weak has to live without any comfort. The deprived were kept away from the comfort on the basis of their gender, residence locations, language they speak, faiths, religions and community. These base for discrimination are basically, the diversities of the society, which give birth to another malpractice for society- INEQUALITY. Now, we can say that inequality is the outcome of the direct or indirect behavior of the entity and predominant powers of the society. This inequality produces many kinds of deprivations in the society.

                                                                If we see the DIVERSITY and INEQUALITY in context of education, we will see that there are a lot of diversities in out country, People of different esteems, different faiths, different traditions, methods, different social and cultural traditions live in our country. People in educational institutions are also contained by these diversities. Therefore, in educational environment, we should give regards to these diversities, as these diversities are the assets of our society. These are also the beauty of our society, so it must be the obligation for education to keep them safe, We always experience these diversities in schools. But, being a teacher, if we start discriminating students with different economical status, different way of living, or different traditions, then what kind of situation will be generated? Of course these situations will affect the development of child. Therefore, this is the duty of a teacher to create an atmosphere where diversity in students gets its proper regard, no matters what their culture, tradition, economic status are, so that they can get a chance to develop in an inclusive environment.

                                                              EQUALITY, LIBERTY, SOCIAL JUSTICE and DIGNITY of a person are also described as values of a citizen in The Constitution of India. Our Constitution provides such rights which prohibits the discrimination in the society on the basis of caste, creed, religion, category, gender or income. Education is the process through which a child prepares his role in the democratic process. This is why, the experiences, culture and values are reflected by them in school, which they see in the society. This is how the inequality in the society, directly or indirectly, affects the educational process.

                                                              In the Indian Constitution, there is a right to equal rights and dignity for all the people of the society and it is the declaration of giving equal opportunities to everyone to grow, but in practice, they all have inequality today. Therefore, education, that is considered to be the weapon of destroying every disunity of human, appears to be proved false.

                                                              These inequalities and diversities in the society, which could prove to be beneficial to a democratic country like India, but today, disputes arise due to these diversities. This independent and sovereign country, full of linguistic, cultural, religious and other diversities, is now trying to save its existence, because today controversies are happening everyday sometimes on the name of language, and sometimes on the name of culture and rituals.

                                                                  MARGINALIZATION in education means to bring the deprived sections of society into the mainstream of education, which are not getting equal opportunities for education. In our society, the sections of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes are marginalized, because they are not getting equal opportunities for education like high and rich sections of the society. They need special provisions and assistance by the state in order to get the proper place in the society.

                                                                       Despite of constitutional guarantee and law against discrimination today, marginalized people in India are unable to get proper education after being victim of group discrimination. The authority of the school, giving support to the discriminatory behavior that has existed since ancient times, ask the children of Dalit, tribal or Muslim communities to sit separately in the classroom. They are disgraced by using abusive names.

                                                                             There is also a provision in the Right to Education Act that the children who have left school or have never attended school, must be taught according to their age and must be brought in mainstream by starting "Bridge Course". But the state government do not endeavor about these, to bring them in the mainstream. It is the duty of every state to take admissions in schools so that they can be brought to the mainstream of education. Government has started many schemes to educate the marginalized sections of the society. Some of these are given below:-

1. MAHILA SAMAKHYA PROGRAMME- In this program, women are empowered by education, so that they can deal with problems like separate isolation, and lack of self-confidence, and to stand against repressive social customs and fight for their survival.
2. NEPGEL- It is the National Program for girl child education at the primary level.
3. SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN YOJANA.
4. SHIKSHA KARMI YOJANA (SKP).
5. KASHTURBA GANDHI BALIKA VIDYALAYA.
6. MID-DAY MEAL YOJANA.
7. KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA. and many more...

Despite of these steps taken by the government, the deprived and marginalized sections of the society still needs some more efforts to be in the mainstream of the society.

(NOTE- YOU MUST SUBSCRIBE THIS BLOG TO GET MORE NOTES FOR B.Ed)