[Reader-list] Why do Schools and Colleges in India Kill?

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Shuddha
 
Allow me to share some simplistic thoughts on this.
 
What we see reflected in such instances from educational institutions is the feudalism and fiefdomism that is rooted in almost every aspect of our lives in India.  They are in myriad forms but still have all the exploitative aspects that existed a few hundred years back.
 
Feudalism became instutionalised and networked in India during the colonial rule. It admirably served the purpose of both Rule and Revenue.
 
Post 1947, attempts were made to erase out Agricultural Feudalism. There was some success but it continued to some extent through the Benami system.
 
At the same time Feudalism and Fiefdomism saw itself cloned and being employed in various spheres and utilised for purposes of exercising control or exacting monies outside legal domains.
 
Educational Institutions are just one such area.
 
Post 1947, the economic policies that allowed Private Enterprise but gave them some protection against competition led in due course to Feudalism of Business Houses. 
 
At the same time, the economic policies of Licence Raj created the Feudalism of the Bureaucracy
 
Ironically, the adoption of Free  Market Economy policies in recent years, without appropriate protection for small businesses has again resulted in the Feudalism of Business Houses.
 
While at one time 'workers' suffered exploitative employment, ensuring of Labour Rights in some areas, predominantly Larger Industrial and other enterprises saw the emergence of the Feudalism of the Workers.
 
The Feudalism of the Police continued unchecked through the decades as did that of the Revenue Officers. They were truly the soldiers of the interconnected Feudal Empires.
 
Interestingly, those who should have been the rebels against such Feudalism themselves succumbed to it and we got the Feudalism of the Students.
 
One could give other examples, but what is common to any such Feudalism and Fiefdomism is the abuse of Rights, Authority and Power in the safe assumption that India seriously lacks in Accountability and Environment for Justice and Delivery of Justice. (Will not expand on that. I am sure it is not needed)
 
Senior students in an educational institution or the teaching faculty are a part of similar feudal structures in their areas of operation and influence. They find themselves because of their position, as being formally or informally vested with, not only Rights but also Power and Authority which they find easy to abuse in the absence of Accountability. 
 
My simplistic take. 
 
Kshmendra
 
 


--- On Sat, 4/18/09, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:

From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
Subject: [Reader-list] Why do Schools and Colleges in India Kill?
To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2009, 12:39 AM

Dear All,

I find the incidence of deaths due to 'ragging' in educational  
institutions in india and the recent death of a young girl, a student  
of Class three, Shanno Khan, in a municipal school in Delhi caused by  
the corporal punishment meted out to her by her teacher because she  
could not tell the meaning of a word in English, totally shocking.

Why is this murderous authoritarianism so prevalent in places of  
education in India. Why do students and teachers behave like  
executioners and impose so much violence on those weaker or smaller  
or younger than them?

What is it about the nature of education and pedagogy in our society  
that makes it so conducive to producing little fascists and martinets?

I hope this list can take some time to reflect on this.

best

Shuddha



Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net


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