Education is Not Just for Children in Chhattisgarh

In the relatively short span of its existence, Chhattisgarh has had to face several obstacles on the road to social progress. Parts of the state are beset by left wing extremism related strife and conflict. The state started off as one of the BIMARU states, not occupying a place of pride on key social development indicators. Eighteen years down the line, however, it would not be a stretch to say that the state has made tremendous progress in the face of serious adversities.

Apart from establishing itself as a state having one of the fastest growth rates in the nation, Chhattisgarh has also made education at all levels a top priority as well as an integral part of its growth story. An example of the premium placed on education by the state is the Education City established in Dantewada, providing quality residential education to children in the Naxalite affected district. The state has several premier institutes of higher education like the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, AIIMS and Hidayatullah National Law University.

While the state continues to invest in opportunities for children to go to school and colleges, there is another demographic that tends to get ignored in conversations around education. In a country like India, a large number of adults, both young and old, have never had the opportunity of receiving even a basic education. This is a demographic that needs another chance to acquire basic literacy and skills so that it may find meaningful employment. Keeping this in mind, the state government is implementing several schemes to promote literacy and skill development among adults. One such scheme is the Saakshar Bharat Scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The scheme is targeted at adults, especially women, who have crossed the age and opportunity for formal education and now seek a chance to acquire basic education and skills to find a sustainable livelihood. The scheme is being implemented in 16 Saakshar Bharat districts in Chhattisgarh, in collaboration and co-ordination with the state government

Another such scheme is Bihan, launched under the aegis of the National Rural Livelihood Mission, and operated by the Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihood Mission. The scheme imparts skill training and livelihood support to rural women, irrespective of age, in all 27 districts of the state. It aims to empower rural women to create and sustain Self Help Groups (SHG), which in turn will help them in creating self-sustaining models of employment and livelihood. The Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh, a loan scheme set up by the Women and Child Department has given loans of more than Rs 68 crores to over 32,855 SHGs.

Chhattisgarh is also the first Indian state to make skill development a right for people both young and old in the state, by enacting the Skill Development for Youths of Chhattisgarh Act, 2013. Under this legislation, the state has designed an action framework for providing opportunities of skill development to its citizens between the ages of fourteen to forty-five. It is targeted to benefit the underprivileged, people who haven’t had a chance to receive a complete formal education. The Chhattisgarh State Skill Development Mission (CSSDM) is responsible for training more than 3 lakh people and providing almost a third of them with employment. Under the Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, 2683 institutions have been registered as commercial training centres for skill development.

The state has Livelihood Colleges in all 27 districts. These colleges provide residential training facilities to the uneducated and unemployed, increasing their ability to earn a livelihood or find employment. The trainings are done in collaboration with private sector players who often end up employing the trainees. It started off as a pilot project in Dantewada district, and after it received an enthusiastic response there, the project was launched in the rest of the state as well.

Another great initiative of the state government, promoting self-help and entrepreneurship among the most marginalized is the “Beti Zindabad Bakery”. The project was launched in the tribal district of Jashpur by several women survivors of human trafficking, with active support from the government. The bakery is now run by these remarkable survivors turned entrepreneurs, with help from the district administration. The Bakery was awarded the “Nari Shakti Prize” by the President on the occasion of International Women’s Day this year.

What is really commendable is that these initiatives of the state administration are over and above the efforts already being made to fortify the formal education system for the school and college going demographic. The message is clear: in this young emerging state’s growth story, educating and empowering those not fortunate enough to access formal education as children is just as important a priority as educating the school and college going youth. By creating a level playing field, the state is trying to ensure that every citizen is trained and empowered to achieve a sustainable livelihood and meaningful employment.