EDUCATION, ASPIRATION AND INEQUALITY IN RURAL CHHATTISGARH.

EDUCATION, ASPIRATION AND INEQUALITY IN RURAL CHHATTISGARH

Education, Aspiration and Inequality in Rural Chhattisgarh

Traditional Inequalities Caste and

untouchability Economic wealth Land

entitlement Occupational

status

New inequalities Education Education-

based social mobility

Education, Aspiration and Inequality in Rural Chhattisgarh

What explains the unequal pursuit of and engagement with education between Hindus and Christians in rural Chhattisgarh

How has this given rise to the creation of new forms of inequality?

Education, Aspiration and Inequality in Rural Chhattisgarh

Dominant perspectives on ‘education’: Schooling is intrinsically beneficial; an

inherent ‘social good’ School education brings about social

mobility and provides fundamental social opportunities

School education synonymous with modernity, civilization, progress Kumar 1994; Dreze and Sen 1995; Sen 1999

Education, Aspiration and Inequality in Rural Chhattisgarh Alternative discourse: school education is

a ‘contradictory resource’ Confers advantages and brings about social

mobility for some… …Reinforces positions of inequality for others Perpetuates and provides justification for

social inequalities Benefits not widely accessible Education correlated with social capital

Levinson and Holland 1996; Bourdieu 1974, 1977, 1990; Jeffery, Jeffery and Jeffery 2008

Background: Mohanpur, rural Chhattisgarh Predominantly adivasi village 2-5 hours from nearest town Rice cultivators, non-timber

forest produce Population: 900 Households: 165

Social Group Composition: 93% adivasi ¾ Hindu (population 750); ‘sons of soil’, dominated by high

caste Ratiya Kanwars ¼ Christian (population 250); new comers, low caste Oraons)

Oraon Christian newcomers

Immigrated to village in early1970s As outsiders, no cultivable land (apart from

encroached forest land) Worked as labourers in city for monetary wage Acquired reputation for intelligence, ‘hard

work’ and for earning livelihoods from ‘outside’

Presently wealthiest group in village: visible wealth includes large homes, motorcycles,

televisions, mobile phones

Catholic Church and education Established 1970 Priests and Sisters: ‘Agents of progress’ through

education, medical care and charitable works Boarding hostel (Class 1-8): caters mainly to Oraon

Christians Rs/1500 hostel fees Hostel regime:

4 hours daily tuition Hindi-only rule

Christians typically study until at least Class 10 or 12 Significant role in importance of education

amongst Oraon Christians: education a ‘social good’

Mohanpur village primary school Constructed 1970s

Caters to local Hindu population

Primary school Class 5 education: supported and valued by Hindus (acquisition of basic literacy skills)

Beyond Class 5, reduced support; Hindus dubious of ‘transformative potential; few Hindu children allowed to carry on

Post-Class 5 education: advantages and constraints (Hindu perspective)

Household economic situation: poor households cannot afford time and costs

Indirect costs: school uniforms and books Need for children’s participation in

household labour Acquisition of skills, preparation for

marriage (girls – cooking; boys – fields and agriculture)

Post-Class 5 education: advantages and constraints (Hindu perspective) Post-class 5 schooling = jobs (anganwadi,

police, school teacher) BUT: jobs scarce, and lack of social and

economic capital means opportunities are few Few success stories, many failures

Risk of ‘de-skillment’: highly educated young people return with no job, and no local ‘know-how’

Existence of land-related ‘fallback livelihoods’ Therefore: Class 5 education most practical;

beyond Class 5 = ‘useless’

Post-Class 5 education: advantages and constraints (Christian perspective) Economic capital: cash-based wealth (no land)

No land = less need for children’s labour at home No land = more cash; favourable position to invest in

education (hostel fees): minimum Class 8-10 No land security = no ‘fallback livelihoods’

Historical patterns of mobility + greater propensity to migrate for work Reputation to ‘go anywhere and do anything for money’ Propensity to seek vocational training

Aspirations directed outward Influenced by local ‘success stories’ (e.g. army, navy,

driving; nurse, teacher, seamstress) Willingness to engage in separation from kin and

community

Post-Class 5 education: advantages and constraints (Christian perspective) Access to powerful form of social capital: the

Church and broader Christian community Superior educational facilities (hostel, tuition,

language) Facilitates commitment to education Provides support and connections in pursuit of

employment and education-related social mobility

[exceptions amongst Hindu community: those with Church connections]

Advantages and Constraints: sum Hindu

Little economic capital Prohibitive cost of

schooling Need for children’s

labour at home Risk of de-skillment with

extended schooling Existence of secure

‘fallback livelihoods’ Reluctance to migrate in

search of work Reluctance to separate

from kin and community Lack of social capital

Christian Economic capital: wage

labourers (related to lack of land)

Historical pattern of labour-related mobility

Willingness to separate from kin and community

Social capital: Church

Conclusion: Visible forms of inequality

Christians advantaged in following:

Existence of powerful form of social capital: the Church Provides superior educational facilities Connections with powerful outsiders

Economic wealth and material consumption Education as first ‘consumption arena’ Existing material wealth compounded by

remittances

Conclusion: Creation of education-based inequalities

Linguistic capital: Hindi language Advantages in terms of cultural and social

capital; social mobility General cultural capital

Confidence, conviction, determination, perseverance

All of which lead to… Active participation in ‘modern’, globalizing world

Conclusion: Creation of education-based inequalities

Education provides opportunities for some (Christians, with superior forms of economic and social capital) whilst disadvantaging others (Hindus), in the process creating new forms of social inequalities and new social cleavages

Education and Inequality: a cautionary note Transformation of social inequalities into

natural ones (Bourdieu, Beteille) Oraon Christians’ success attributed to intelligence,

propensity to work hard: ‘in the blood’ Disregards fact that the inequalities that

impede educational investment are derived from existing social and economic differences Justifies unequal investment and success in

education as ‘naturally given’ Legitimizes and condones perpetuation of social

inequalities Encourages upwardly mobile groups to invoke

new hierarchical inequalities based on ‘merit’, ‘gifts’, ‘natural intelligence’