Our Children and the upcoming elections (Aniruddha Bora)

The political battles, promises and verbal spats have begun to appear in the stage with regards to Assam Elections 2021. The CAA movement and various other factors have given rise to a few rationalistic parties of varied ideologies. News Debates, shows, interviews of emerging leaders can be viewed every day.  We have even fought on unnecessary issues like supply of beef to the tigers in the zoo. Issues of citizenship, land rights, unemployment, price rise, corruption in government jobs are always on the top of the chart when election approaches in Assam. But in the midst of these issues, as a concerned citizen I can’t help but wonder. What about our children? Why no such hue and cry on how to ensure equal opportunities for all our children? Do we not realise that India is in a stage of demographic dividend and we need to capitalise on this? Will we vote for the political parties who listen to the needs of our children in Assam, learn from it and execute their plans? Will we vote for those, who promise to strengthen institutions that supply essential services to our children? Will we elect leaders or MLAs who promise to improve the infrastructures of the government schools? I write from my personal experience of observing the deteriorating condition of the government schools while appearing for my CDPA exam in Guwahati and NET exam in Dibrugarh in 2019. Both the exams being held in the government schools of the respective cities. Are we taking into account whether creche  facilities are available in the tea gardens of Assam which have been recommended under the Plantation Labor Act? Are we taking into account how the poor and marginalised children of Assam are adjusting to the newly introduced mode of online teaching/education- do they have the resources to access it? Only promoting online education at government institution level won’t ensure a successful model of online education until there are efforts to make this mode of education accessible, affordable and adaptable.

Why Children should be the focus?

Before going to facts and figures which showcase the poor status of children in Assam let us refresh our general knowledge as responsible adults and remind ourselves why children’s issues should be at the centre of the election promises. First of all, children are not part of the adult decision making world but they have the vision and expectations to grow as individuals as well as for a better world. Children are the most vulnerable to any action or inaction. They not only form the future but are also the present assets.

Let us now  have a glimpse of the stats and figures-

1. The honourable Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in Feb 2020 mentioned that school dropout rate in primary and secondary classes is highest in Assam in the country. https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/school-dropout-rate-highest-in-assam.html
2. Despite global and national efforts malnutrition among children seems to be a major issue in the state of Assam. As per National Family and Health Survey-4, Assam has 36.4% stunted children, 17% wasted and 29.89% underweight children. Anyone working in the nutritional sector would understand and realise how vulnerable Assam is as a space for children with regards to protecting their nutritional requirements. http://www.iitbnutritiongroup.in/nfhs-4-analysis-for-assam
3. A report on child marriages by the National Commission for protection of Child Rights put the rate of child marriages in Assam at 16.7% which is higher than the national average of 11.9%. So if we had any misconceptions that issues like child marriage is an outdated thing, this data is a wake up call for us.
4. According to a data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Assam stands at 13^th position in terms of number of child labour in the country. https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/assam-13th-in-child-labour-cases-in-country.html
5. A study on Anaemia, “Haemoglobinopathies – major associating determinants in prevalence of anaemia among adolescent girl students of Assam, India” reported that the overall prevalence of anaemia among adolescent girl students of Assam is as high as 71.5%.
6. News of government schools of Assam degrading due to financial strain is not new. On 2^nd November, 2020 an article was published in G Plus which reported that the prestigious Cotton Collegiate Government Higher Secondary School, situated in the heart of Guwahati– Panbazar – is slowly acquiring the shape of ruins. Today, it is a campus full of dilapidated buildings.

There are numerous other facts, but hopefully these poor indicators with respect to education and health are enough to validate why children of Assam needs attention. The focus should be laid on the fact that every party comes up with ideas or promises which ensure the safeguarding of every child’s right to care and protection. Most importantly a party should have vision on how they are going to handle these issues of children in a post COVID situation. What are the new changes, be it legislative or executive we are going to witness for safeguarding every child’s right to health and nutrition? The last, but not the least how the children’s right to education/early childhood care and education are going to be fulfilled. Do we really care for our future and present assets?