Transcending the Barriers to Knowledge: Mapping Transformation of Language Usage through Elementary Education in Vikramshila-A Sociological Study

BY PRIYADARSHINI DEY JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 2. RATIONALE 3. OBJECTIVES 4. METHODOLOGY 5. ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND RTE A BRIEF EVALUATION 6. MOTHER TONGUE AND THE OTHER TONGUE
7.

MULTICULTURALISM AND ITS IMPACT ON LANGUAGE USAGE:

8. THE NABADISHA INITIATIVE BY VIKRAMSHILA 9. OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER: ANALYSIS OF THE NABA DISHAS PEDAGOGY 10.CONCLUSION 11.BIBLIOGRAPHY

Transcending the Barriers to Knowledge: Mapping Transformation of Language Usage through Elementary Education in Vikramshila-A Sociological Study

INTRODUCTION Education has universally been accepted as a plausible solution, to many issues like poverty, inequality, and malnutrition. It is a crucial vehicle for social and economic development. According to Emile Durkheim, education shapes social beings by instilling shared moral traditions, practices and ideals in them. In this context Elementary Education is considered to be the building block of social development and reconstruction. Elementary education is the foundation for both order and progress of society, which not only provides basic education but is also expected to promote social development along with political and economic changes. Though our system of education in India today is the largest educational system in terms of number of students, teachers, and educational institutions but we are yet to achieve the flagship goal of Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) even after 60 years of independence. Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) is essential for strengthening the fabrics of democracy and for laying the foundation of the personality, self confidence, general awareness, communication capabilities, learning skills and attitudes. In line with the goal of nation building, India has been committed to providing free and compulsory education to all children. Indian Parliament has enacted a legislation making free and compulsory education a Right of every child in the age group 6-14 years which has come into force from 1st April, 2010. Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan has been launched recently as a step to universalize secondary education. It is envisioned that strengthening elementary education and higher/technical education would help in meeting the objectives of expansion, inclusion and excellence in education. India is said to be a socio-linguistic giant due to its multilingual and multicultural character, having multiple religions, castes, sects, professions and lifestyles. Linguistic diversity is a hallmark of India. (Bhatia & Ritchie, 2004: 794). Indian multilingualism goes beyond a simple diversity of number which, in itself, is quite overwhelming. There are 1652 mother tongues (1961 census) and a much larger number of
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dialects. These have been classified into 300 to 400 languages (five language families). There are 22 constitutionally recognized official languages (Constitution of India, VIIIth schedule, after the 100th constitutional amendment, December 2003) along with English (the associate official language). While language is arguably an important tool to express one-self and to bridge gaps and transcend barriers, it can also seem an insurmountable hurdle especially if the language or the medium is new. One can get a glimpse of this by just observing children as they learn to make the transition from one medium to another. They face an onslaught of discrimination which, on occasions, can affect them emotionally on a long-term basis. Underprivileged children also go through a similar situation when attempts are made to integrate them into the mainstream. Educational failure of linguistic minorities all over the world is primarily related to the mismatch between the home language and the language of formal instruction. The difference between languages that children learn in the home (their mother tongues) and the languages valued by society and established therefore as the medium of instruction at the various levels of schools is an almost universal problem in educational systems, including India. In the grasp of globalization that India is caught between, there is need for high-level multilingual skills, and a mothertongue based multilingual education is the most effective way of achieving this multilingualism. In many countries of the world including India which is a multilingual nation, large numbers of children start school, only to find their teachers are speaking to them in a language they dont understand. Children learn to copy and often memorize the words and numbers, but dont understand them and cant apply them usefully. In these situations, many children drop out of school altogether, while others fail their examinations and spend years repeating grades. It has been shown that if the school language is different from the language children use at home with family and friends, it becomes a major cause of educational failure for many children. The language used to teach primary school children is a big factor in this disappointing picture. There are several groups who speak their own local language. However, the government often decides that schools should have as their medium of instructions - just one national language, or even a foreign language, to promote unity or economic competitiveness even when teachers dont speak that language well. Advocates of bilingual education argue that learning in a language which is not ones own exerts extra pressure for children. Not only is there the challenge of learning a new language but also that of learning new knowledge and skills. As a result, children find it difficult to cope with the challenges that

emerge from the so-called standard language of instruction, which ultimately can alienate them (Banks & Banks, 2010; Gay, 2010; Nieto, 2010; Skutnabb-Kangas & Dunbar, 2010). In the above context Vikramshila Kolkata belongs to a different philosophy of schooling system where their nodal centers strive toward providing children from marginalized communities with opportunities of education that reinstate them back to the mainstream. Vikramshila offers strategies to help improve childrens chances of performance in school, even when it appears very difficult to change the way language is currently used in education. Vikramshila, in collaboration with Kolkata police runs Naba Disha, a programme for children (aged between 3 and 18) from marginalized communities residing in crime prone localities. The centers are mostly located within the police station (thana) premises to strengthen linkages between the police and the local community. The unique education resource centers at Naba Disha help provide children from marginalized communities having a mother tongue different from that of the mainstream society with basic primary education and tuition support. The Naba Disha programme is equipped with teachers who facilitate the children with strategies that help them learn the school language more easily, before enrolling them to schools. This study proposes in the above context, to map how Vikramshila operates as a bridge between those excluded and the mainstream society.

RATIONALE: Kolkata, like all other metropolitan cities is subject to a rich and diverse background of migrations from small towns, other states and even countries (Bangladesh).Owning to the diverse population of Kolkata, the languages spoken are varied. The dialects used are influenced by the socioeconomic and political influence of that geographical area. The task of educating children becomes much more difficult when teachers have to face a heterogeneous group with multilingual and multicultural background. Kolkata is subject to varied groups of people from all of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Bangladesh. Owing to the high propensity of immigrant population, the cultural mosaic of Kolkata is extremely diverse and palpable. These people have brought with them their languages and cultures, representing different religions, castes, sects and professions and specific registers pertaining to them. These categories of people are subject to marginalization owing to their extremely low economic capabilities, religion, and caste. The governmental policies in West Bengal post the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 have made education free and compulsory for all children. The government schools which are primarily Bengali, Hindi and Urdu medium are thus compelled to take in children belonging to such marginalized categories. However it is observed Children from those marginalized and excluded populations are unable to cope with the formal languages used in government schools owning to the diversity of dialects in their mother tongue and socio-cultural influences. Many children had dropped out as they were unable to cope with what they leant in school as they did not understand it. It is in such a dire situation when Vikramshila, a nongovernmental organization based in Kolkata was given the task of devising pedagogical measures to help mainstream children from the above marginalized communities by CRY. Vikramshilas Naba Disha programme uses unique pedagogical tools to help these children understand the school language and adjust to it, before they join a formal school. In the above context, it is therefore pertinent that the process through which children from disadvantaged communities get acquainted with their school language before they are relocated to the mainstream is properly explored.

OBJECTIVES: The paper proposes primarily to map the process through which children learn their school language, overcoming the language barrier. Here the pedagogical measures used to incorporate the idea of language in children will be observed. It must be noted that this pedagogy is unique and well researched in particular to Vikramshila. Secondarily the paper will explore the problems faced during this transition. These children are primarily from the countryside and it is very hard for them to cope with the process of formalization. The paper will explore the specific problems faced by Nabadisha teachers in educating the children. Thirdly the paper will analyze through narratives from both the teacher and students the importance of such a transition and the effects it causes. This will embark the positive effects of such a curriculum and the change that has brought to many marginalized children in Kolkata.

METHODOLOGY: It must be noted that the unit of analysis of the population that the paper focuses upon are marginalized communities hailing from in and around Kolkata. These children hail from families who cannot support their education. Their parents are all employed as rag-pickers, road cleaners, domestic help, or do menial labor. Children suffer from malnutrition, and do not get time to study at home. The Naba Disha centers not only facilitate in mainstreaming them, but also act as a second home for these children. The present study is therefore attempt towards mixed-methods or multi-methods perspective, which is formally defined as the research in which the investigator collects and analyses data, integrates the findings, and draws inferences using both qualitative and quantitative approaches or methods in a single study or program of inquiry (Tashakkori & Cresswell, 2007:4).

The paper is an explorative study, which will unveil the process by which children belonging to various marginalized communities overcome the language barrier and get acquainted with formal school languages namely Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, within the various Naba Disha centers all over Kolkata.

It involves both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the obtained data. The paper undertakes a detailed study 17 Naba Disha centers, situated in and around Kolkata.

Interviews and narratives of 20 teachers and 30 students from 16 Naba Disha study centers are used. Semi structured interview schedules has been used to enable both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Participant observation method has also been undertaken in the centers, to obtain a clear picture of the observation.

Secondary data will comprise of laws and policies created for the betterment of these marginalized communities through education by the government

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND RTE: A BRIEF EVALUATION Durkheim stated that every society, considered at a given moment in its development, has a system of education which is posed on individuals.1 Every society sets itself a certain human ideal, an ideal of what a person should be from the intellectual, physical and moral points of view; this ideal is that of education. Society can subsist only if there is sufficient homogeneity among its members. Education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by inculcating in the childs mind the fundamental relationships required by life in the community. Through education, the individual being is turned into a social being. This homogeneity is however, relativein societies characterized by a division of labor, the greater the differentiation and solidarity between various types of occupation, the more a certain degree of heterogeneity is necessary. Education thus can be both a social equalizer and also reproduce social inequalities. John Dewey also duly acknowledged, the school system has always been a function of the prevailing type of organization of social life (Dewey, 1896b, p. 285). If schools were to be made agencies of social reform rather than agencies of social reproduction, they would have to be thoroughly reconstructed. Both John Dewey and Emile Durkheim influential thinkers conceived of education as the mechanism for cultural and societal transmission. Traditionally, schools have been used as an instrument to transmit knowledge; however Chomsky opines that the skills and knowledge taught are often not worthwhile. "The goal of education", according to Noam Chomsky, "is to produce human beings whose values are not accumulation and domination, but instead are free association on equal terms." However Chomsky's view of the factory model of education is that students are mandated to adhere to state written curricula where standardized tests are necessary. Students are inadvertently pushed to learn through memorization of facts, rather than through critical thinking. Chomsky suggests that society simply reduces education to the requirement of the market. Chomsky complains that children are not taught to challenge and think independently, yet they are taught to repeat, follow orders and obey. Education is described as a period of regimentation and control, with a system of false beliefs. Based on these analyses, the goals of education should be to encourage the development of the child's natural capacity.
1

Durkheim, 1911, Education, its Nature and Role ,Education et sociologie,

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In this context the role of Universal Elementary Education (UEE) for strengthening the social fabric of democracy through provision of equal opportunities to all has been accepted since the inception of our Republic. The original Article 45 in the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution mandated the State to endeavor to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to age fourteen in a period of ten years. The Constitution (Eighty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards. Article 21-A and the RTE Act came into effect on 1 April 2010. The title of the RTE Act incorporates the words free and compulsory. Free education means that no child, other than a child who has been admitted by his or her parents to a school which is not supported by the appropriate Government, shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education. Compulsory education casts an obligation on the appropriate Government and local authorities to provide and ensure admission, attendance and completion of elementary education by all children in the 6-14 age groups. The RTE Act provides for the: (i) Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighborhood school. (ii) It clarifies that compulsory education means obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. Free means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education. (iii) It makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class. (iv) It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authority and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments.
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(v) It lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours. (vi) It provides for rational deployment of teachers by ensuring that the specified pupil teacher ratio is maintained for each school, rather than just as an average for the State or District or Block, thus ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings. It also provides for prohibition of deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to local authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief. (vii) It provides for appointment of appropriately trained teachers, i.e. teachers with the requisite entry and academic qualifications. (viii) It prohibits (a) physical punishment and mental harassment; (b) screening procedures for admission of children; (c) capitation fee; (d) private tuition by teachers and (e) running of schools without recognition, (ix) It provides for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the childs knowledge, potentiality and talent and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centered learning. India has made substantial progress in achieving its elementary education goals over the last few decades, yet there are certain sections of society that continue to remain significantly underserved. Despite the progress made, there remains a lot of ground to be covered for the establishment and functioning of a high-quality elementary education system. The Act has been a partial success, as the lack of awareness, mass mobilization, and lack of community involvement continue to hinder its implementation. There is a need to sensitize local authorities to play an active role in implementation of the Act. The RTE Act also does not cater to the absence of pre-school education provisions for children below the age of six years. Greater efforts are required for special training for out-of-school children who have never been to school after the age appropriate for admission to school. The multilingual nature of India is also a huge problem that hinders the implementation of RTE. With several languages and ethnicities and religious minorities all amalgamated in one umbrella children face the difficulties during transition from their home/native language to formal/school language. Especially children hailing from disadvantaged communities and minorities are most marginalized due to
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their failure to cope up formal school language. Such a hindrance can only be coped with, if implementations and activities are conducted at the community level, spreading awareness and participation. It is seen that NGOs are engaged in several activities that are aimed at improving access to education of the disadvantaged sections of society. Their strength lies in working with communities and mobilizing them. Being close to communities, their most significant contribution is to engage them with the education system to demand good quality education for their children.

MOTHER TONGUE AND OTHER TONGUE: Language is the expression of all things evolved through communication among members of the community and the culture it represents. Language is community specific and is intricately interwoven
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with the culture it represents. Language helps members of the community to establish, assert and maintain their identity as individuals and as a group, bringing among them a sense of solidarity. Every child is born with a language acquisition device having innate properties that plays a role in acquiring knowledge of language. Language can be studied both for its internal structural system and for its relationships to external systems social, political, and cultural. Linguists have stated divergences in language are tied to social class. Patterns of social class dierentiation are often assumed to be fundamental and sociolinguistic patterns of variation, e.g., stylistic and gender variation, are regarded as derivative of them (Labov 1972). Dewey contended that, children do not arrive at school as blank slates upon which teachers might write the lessons of civilization. By the time the child entered the classroom, he was already intensely active and the question of education is the question of taking hold of his activities, of giving them direction (Dewey, 1899, p. 25). Children begin their formal education with the four basic native impulses the impulse to communicate, to construct, to inquire, and to express in fine form. Children also brought their own interests and activities from home, and it was the task of the teacher to make use of this raw material by guiding their activities at school toward valuable results (Mayhew & Edwards, 1966, p. 41). This innateness is a biological endowment that Chomsky refers to as Principles and Parameters. According to this theory, there is a universal grammar where Principles are general features, while Parameters are variables left open in the statement of principles that account for the diversity found in languages. They define the limited numbers of grammatically permitted choices from the universal grammar menu of options. Once the vocabulary is learnt and grammatical patterns are fixed, the whole system falls in its place and general principles programmed into general organ, just churns away to yield all the particulars of the language concerned (Chomsky as quoted in Jenkins, 2000) 2. In other words, there are different grammatical systems based on the choice of different parameters, when the child is exposed to them, its innate capacity gets activated and it acquires knowledge of the rules of the language while using it for communication. When the child is exposed to more than one such linguistic system, it acquires more than one language and is known as multilingual. Multilingualism is of two kinds: Elite Language learned in a formal setting through planned and regular instruction as in a school system. Neighborhood Here the language is acquired in a natural setting, acquired through the interaction with people speaking different languages. Education is imparted in standard variety of the language concerned. This is true of both the first language used as medium of
2

Jenkins L: Biolinguistics, Cambridge University Press.

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instruction, and a second language taught for enrichment. This attains greater importance in first language instruction, because the child has to learn all the subjects in this language. Very few really speak a standard variety as most of the children speak some or other dialect, and some of the dialects are so far removed, that they can be distinct languages. Thus it becomes problematic for the children to cope with the formal school language. The term mother tongue has been a subject of debate and dissension among scholars and layman alike (Pattanayak 1981). A mother tongue is the expression of the primary identity of a human being. It is the language through which a person perceives the surrounding world and through which initial concept formation takes place. The child is acclimatized to its environment through naming each object, phenomenon and mood of changing nature. The mother tongue is the medium through which the child also establishes kinship with other children and with the adults around. The role of the mother tongue in anchoring the child to its culture can also be seen from the point of myth. The mother tongue is that language, the loss of which results in the loss of rootedness in traditions and mythology of the speech community and leads to intellectual impoverishment and emotional sterility. Advocates of mother tongue education sometimes say that it serves as a useful first step preparing for later successful learning of the socially dominant language, or that it leads to better academic education. Fishman points out that these reasons are not enough. The promotion of minority mother tongues in education is motivated by the intricate ties between a language and the culture with which it is associated. Every language indexes, symbolizes, and enacts its culture better than any other language. Fishman points out that promotion of minority mother tongues in education is motivated by the intricate ties between a language and the culture with which it is associated. Every language indexes, symbolizes, and enacts its culture better than any other language does. Minority populations depend on school to enable their children to index as much of their culture as possible. In India, as everywhere in the world, children of linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples (STs) have a mother-tongue, and need at least one other livelihood language. Mother tongue-based bilingual programs use the learners first language, to teach beginning reading and writing skills along with academic content.3 The second or foreign language should be taught systematically so that learners can

In cases where two or more languages are spoken in the home or locality, schooling may be provided in one of the learners home languages, in another local language, or in a lingua franca; for lack of a better term for these contexts, this paper uses mother tongue or L1 to refer to any language in which school-aged children are competent.

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gradually transfer skills from the familiar language to the unfamiliar one.4 Bilingual models and practices vary as do their results, but what they have in common is their use of the mother tongue at least in the early years so that students can acquire and develop literacy skills in addition to understanding and participating in the classroom. Here are a few simple but handy learning approaches that will work well and help break language barriers: 1. One way evidently, is to emphasize communicable language (phrases) rather than the usage of grammar. For example, learning basic phrases / groups of words that are fundamental to communication like: come here, go there, sit down, do this, do that, draw this, write that, see this. 2. Using learning aids like flash cards is another way. This could prove quite useful especially in cases where a child is learning to identify letters/numbers.
3. Another good way is to enact stories rather than read them out. Taking short stories with morals

and with a lot of action, help children understand the central idea of the story and more easily; infer the messages while learning to communicate. 4. Devising activities that involve all children will greatly help them learn the new language. This ensures that all are on a level-playing field. They could be through simple art and craft activities say drawing on a common theme, watching a movie, listening to or playing music.
5. Games and exercises that call for team work will help them interact with one another. For

example, solving puzzles jointly, crossword, spelling bees, guided story writing / narration. However one should consider that Multilingualism helps to develop meta-cognitive and metalinguistic skills. Children learn to express the same thought with different codes in different languages. At societal level they understand the cultural differences leading to different norms to be observed in interpersonal relations in different discourse situations. Basil Bernstein an important and controversial sociologist produced a theory of social and educational codes and their effect on social reproduction. Bernsteins sociolinguistic code theory was developed into a social theory examining the relationships between social class, family and the reproduction of meaning systems (code refers to the principles regulating meaning systems). For Bernstein, there were social class differences in the communication codes of working class
4

In North American and European contexts, languages are considered second or foreign depending on whether or not learners are exposed to them in the outer community. While the school language is often foreign to children and adults in developing countries, the blanket term L2 is used since it is still appropriate in terms of the sequence in which languages are learned.

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and middle class children; differences that reflect the class and power relations in the social division of labor, family and schools. The usage of various dialects and the importance of mother tongue in formal education are very important. Thus the class differences in children generated a different communication code that children carried along with them to their school. Thus it must be understood that children from marginalized communities have their own set of codes which are different from those in they learn in formal schools. Thus education in the mother tongue has become pertinent to help mainstream children from marginalized communities. In this context the nabadisha initiative by Vikramshila is one which uses unique pedagogical tools to facilitate children to learn and adjust in formal schools.

MULTICULTURALISM AND ITS IMPACT ON LANGUAGE USAGE:

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The culture and environment in which the language is spoken, determine structure of language and its semantic networking. These are throughout and forever reconstituted by cultural blending and children learning a second or a foreign language have to deal with the absence of similar cognitive domains. According to Pandit Language is not interpreted as an autonomous system outside culture but as a manifestation of culture. As a system it is designed to accommodate any kind of cultural diversity and plurality. Multiculturalism in linguistic societies and heterogeneity in languages are the consequences of people living together, working together, and sharing the services and goods of the same community. This linguistic community does not require an imposition of homogeneity as it is a design of diversity. Thus Kolkata being the seat of multiculturalism can be posited as a city which encompasses various dialects and languages. A language is a crucial part of the heritage of a specific community, shapes and builds its identity in the same way as its physical heritage does. Therefore its existence needs to be valued and preserved as we do with the cultural and environmental heritage of a region. Pierre Bourdieu insists that language cannot be analyzed or understood in isolation from its cultural context and the social conditions of its production and reception. For Bourdieu, all speech acts are the outcome of two causal series. First, there is the linguistic habitus which encompasses the cultural propensity to say particular things, a specific linguistic competence and the social capacity to use that competence appropriately. Second, there is the linguistic market, which takes the form of sanctions and censorships, and which defines what cannot be said as much as what can. Bourdieu is thus concerned with linguistic practices from the point of view of their production and their reception: the speech act is not to be reduced to mere execution. Multiculturalism and Multilingualism thus help to develop meta-cognitive and metalinguistic skills. At a very early age children learn to express the same thought with different codes in different languages. At societal level they understand the cultural differences leading to different norms to be observed in interpersonal relations in different discourse situations Thus it teaches them to live harmoniously with others in the society.

THE NABADISHA INITIATIVE BY VIKRAMSHILA:

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Vikramshila was the first NGO approached by the police, through CRY (Child Rights and You) to undertake the centre operation in 1999, when the idea of Naba Disha first developed. Vikramshila also has the largest number of centers to look after as of now (13 in the city and 7 in the greater Kolkata areas). Gradually, witnessing the success of the Naba Disha intervention in the community, the Police sought to open more centers in the various thanas (police stations) all over Kolkata. Vikramshila was approached thus, to run all the centers, however, due to the organizations mandate of remaining a resource centre and not become a large scale implementing body, the organization chose not to take on any more than already at hand that acted as our field of research, innovations and learning, and so new centers were offered to other NGOs, in the hope that they would follow the Vikramshila model in setting up and running more Naba Dishas. All the Naba Disha (ND) centers are located close to a Thana (within the premises or in the vicinity) to ensure that the benevolent face of the police reaches the community which generally mistrusts and is suspicious of law enforcers. Any activity within the project thus takes in 3 stakeholders1. The Community 2. The Children 3. The Police. Human development services such as education, mainstreaming, tuition support, vocational training, health, sports, cultural activities, nutrition are being provided in the canters, as a supplement to the school system. It is safe to conclude then, that the Naba Disha program is in no way a violation of the Rte Act, rather a complement to it. Given that these areas are crime prone with criminal gangs and dens of antisocial activities, the children need to have a safe place to go after school. At such a location lessons can be reinforced, the children can be taught a variety of new skills, be involved in art and culture, as well as the seeds of active citizenship can be instilled in them, which includes the understanding and awareness and duties of state system. Vikramshilas Naba Disha, operative since 1999, is a unique example of a successful programme that merges advocacy and implementation at each stage of the intervention in such childrens lives. The Naba Disha centers run by the 8 NGOs of Kolkata offer one, or more, or all of the following services to children Learning Support to 3-5 year olds to ensure admission to formal schools, Learning Support
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to children attending formal schools, to ensure their continuation of studies, Health check up, Nutrition Support, Cultural Activities, Games and Sports, Community Interaction through Mothers Meetings, Home visits etc, Vocational Support through career counseling and linking with vocational training institutes. Pedagogy is endemic to schooling it is through pedagogy that schooling gets done and thus understanding pedagogy is central to the sociology of education. Robin Alexander makes a very clear distinction between teaching and pedagogy. He asserts that pedagogy is the art of teaching plus its associated discourses to do with learning, teaching, curriculum and much else. The lack of intellectual demand (particularly in schools serving disadvantaged communities and particularly in secondary schools) had serious social justice implications. this absence of intellectual demand works in the way in which Bourdieu suggests schools reproduce inequality, that is, by demanding of all that which they do not give, those with the requisite cultural capital are advantaged in schooling. Such a lack probably reects the substantial amount of curriculum content teachers felt they had to cover in a nite period of time; thus coverage became more important than the pursuit of higher-order thinking, citizenship goals and so on. This pedagogy for success requires a complementary pedagogy at home, thus reproducing class based inequalities around familial cultural capital. It is in the above context the next section the study undertakes an understanding of the unique pedagogy used in Naba Disha to mainstream children from marginalized communities.

OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER: Analysis of the Naba Dishas Pedagogy

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The present scenario of elementary education in West Bengalis not very encouraging, as the rate of children dropping out of school has been very high, thus the barrier caused due to language becomes a major setback. Children from lower socio-economic background mostly hailing from minority communities are marginalized to a great extent due to their mother tongue. Most of these children have mixed dialects that use two or more languages, namely a mixture of Urdu and Hindi, Hindi and Bengali, Hindi and Bhojpuri. In such conditions it is pertinent that these children are provided with extra support so that they can be put at par with mainstream education. The children should understand that every one speaks the home language, but they must also learn the standard language to be successful in school. Teachers should explain to them the role of each of the variety a language; the standard variety is for life outside their homes, to be used in public affairs, and their dialect for private life at home. This would give them the psychological stability and group solidarity. This would thus decrease the rate of children dropping out from school due to their inability to overcome the language barrier they face. The project analysis is based on observations of 16 Naba Disha centers based in and around Kolkata. a) Demographics: The Naba Disha centers are particularly based in precincts of the city, where development per se is very low. The centers are based in marginalized communities where the members of the community are incapable of providing their children with any kind of educational support. The centre enrollments range from about 40 to 120 depending on the demand of education in those areas. it is quite evident that all these children hail from low economic income groups whose average monthly income ranges between 1000 to 3500 a month, with most of the people hailing from the lower band of the income group. Most of these people are manual labourers, domestic help, small shopkeepers, factory laborers. Rickshaw pullers, or are unemployed. It must be noted that due to the multicultural influence on these places, thus the languages used are varied and mixed in nature. Many of these communities are immigrants from Bangladesh and Bihar, thus their cultural influences are entirely different from that of Bengal. Other communities specially the minority communities are extremely remotely placed hence their languages are entirely different from the rest of city. Thus proving Pierre Bourdieu claim that language cannot be analyzed or understood in isolation from its cultural context and the social conditions of its production and reception. Such geographical or cultural distinctiveness creates different language dialects which becomes extremely hard to unlearn and is even harder to understand once dissociated from their cultural settings. Consequently it becomes a herculean task for the children to unlearn dialects which they are speaking every day, through mere rote learning of textbooks.
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The following table will provide an idea of the areas covered by the N.D programme and the languages in which the children are taught in these centers. Sr. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Centers Bowbazar (1999) Watgunge Hastings Kalighat Lake Nadial Rabindranagar Tiljala Khardah Jagatdal Narkel Danga 1 Narkel Danga 2 Garden Reach 1 Garden Reach 2 Garden Reach 3 Beniapukur Language Urdu Hindi, Bengali Hindi Bengali Bengali Urdu Urdu Bengali , Urdu Hindi Hindi Urdu, Bengali Urdu, Bengali Urdu Urdu Urdu Urdu, Bengali

The languages are taught in the Naba Disha centre are taught on demand of the community in which these centers are established. Though the dialects of the languages are different in different places, mixed languages are also used. However the problem of language is not evident in all the nabadisha centers. 75% of the nabadisha centers however house children who have to be aided because they do not have proper hold over the formal language used in their school. While 25% of the nabadisha centers have children who do not have any problem understanding or learning their formal school language. 62.5% (10 out of 16) of the centers have Urdu as their main language, while 43.75% (7 out of 16) of the centers have Bengali as their main language and 25% (4 out of 16) of the centers have Hindi as their main language. 31.25% (5 out of 16) Centers use two or more languages to help students from multicultural and multilingual communities to cope with the language barrier they are faced with.
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b) The dilemma of multilingual education: The Govt. of India has introduced the Three Language Formula in its educational system, which means every child has to study two more languages other than their first language. The two languages are introduced simultaneously at upper primary level, while the third learn after class five. Unfortunately the three- language formula has not been successful, mainly because these languages do not follow second language teaching methodology. Students are directly introduced to writing system without giving any exposure to spoken variety, and as has been earlier mentioned, very often students are exposed to a pidginized variety outside their homes and are subject to a code mixing seen in hoardings, and jingles used in advertisements popular on T.V. Secondly students never understand the purpose of learning these languages because they are not taught to use the language meaningfully. Thus language education in formal schools becomes not only highly rigid but also problematic for children from marginalized communities. The ND programme starts with children at the age of 3, in the early childhood education or ECE level, where the children are introduced to the idea of school. The implementation of the rte act has made sure that children are enrolled in schools at their right age. Thus the ECE level becomes extremely important for these children from marginalized communities. The children in the ECE level are those who face most hindrance in learning new languages or unlearning a dialect. Centers like Narkeldanga, Tiljala, Watgunj,
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Beniapukur are multilingual and teach in more than one language. The children in these centers hail from mixed communities, thus speak a dialect that is a combination of two or more languages, such as Hindi and Bengali, Bengali and Urdu (code mixed) for example karis kha which means to work, or bolis kha which means to tell. It is evident that the children use a code mixed language which is a mixture of Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. Hence confirming Deweys claim that children from marginalized communities have their own set of codes which are different from those in they learn in formal schools. The children are not only subject to different dialects at home but also are subject to a lot of abusive language which they socialize into. It becomes very difficult to unlearn the speech habits picked up in this manner. The teachers at Naba Disha are trained to teach in a very unique and scientific method which helps the children to cope with the transition they face. They take help of the Teaching Learning Material or TLM to teach and discipline the children into the process of education. Initially the children are introduced to the ideas of sounds and shapes, smell, size, colour etc using various day to day materials like beads, sandpaper, colored paper cubes etc. Visual, auditory and tactile instruments made out of simple everyday objects are used to teach the children the formation of letters, words, and sentences. The teachers use multilingual teaching methods flash cards, charts, using same sounding letters in two or more languages to familiarize them with the formal languages. Several activities such as picture and word puzzles, joining word cards etc are also used to instill in the children an idea of words and pictures. Thus the child obtains simultaneous identification of objects in the two languages which they are about to learn in their formal school. The use of visual representations and references to every alphabet or word they learn helps the children to get socialized into the learning habit. Comparative charts are used to incorporate in the children the idea of multiple languages.This unique pedagogy is pertinent to the learning process of children in general, more so for children from marginalized communities. Children are also socialized to be hygienic, helpful, caring through strict training and disciplinary techniques. Instilling in them a sense of regularity which is otherwise lacking in them due to the adverse conditions in which they live in. Extracurricular activities such as drawing, dancing, and theatre workshops are conducted, enhancing the capacity of these children to feel competent about their abilities.

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C) Secondary Education and Advocacy: The ND programmes do not just stop when the children are enrolled in the formal schools. They act as continuous support base for these children and track them to the completion of secondary and higher secondary examinations, then offers career counseling to take the child forward into societys mainstream. Drop out children are provided extra support and counseling to help them reinstate themselves into the learning process. It is evident that due to the language barrier children do not have clear pronunciation and their writing skills are not proper. However such problems are solved at each point, by successful implementation through initial and sustained advocacy. It is through this cycle of continuous and consistent advocacy and success in implementation activities that Naba Disha builds a sustainable model of quality education for marginalized children. Children are provided tuition support in the senior classes namely class 9 onwards in the centers itself. Older children are also encouraged express their feelings through writings and drawings in consolidated magazines or Bal Akhbar, also as a part of their activity. Children also make Mind Maps which are a very unique method of retaining information about a particular topic. Such exercises help creating in the child a healthy mode of expression which would have otherwise been distorted in their everyday living conditions. The children often participate in spreading awareness in their communities on issues of hygiene, drugs abuse and violence against women. They also have their own childrens magazine
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Umang. The curriculum of the centers is based on the state board, yet the centers use very special innovative instructional design and pedagogy based on the theory and principles of Gardeners Multiple Intelligence theory which enables the teachers to help enhance all the abilities of the children. The extracurricular activities help the children to enhance and understand their abilities and focus on their areas of interest which will help them in their future endeavors. Several children have now graduated from school and joined their fields of interest, several children are provided support in enhancing their creative skills like that of dancing, drawing, film making etc from Naba Disha. Thus Naba Disha directly impacts vulnerable children from economically and socially deprived backgrounds- religious minorities, child labourers, girl children and others. The main educational impact of Naba Disha has been the opportunity it has provided to children to join mainstream education and be subject to quality living.

C) Initial Hindrances-The Barrier To Learning: The ND programmes do face certain setbacks which must be highlighted to explain the process of overcoming the language barrier.

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1. The Nabadisha programme was initially not accepted by many communities especially minority

sections, which were skeptical of their credibility. However through rigorous surveys and interactions NABA DISHA has overcome this barrier of being accepted as a credible organization in these communities. 2. The present situation has school absenteeism as a issue that creates a gap in the childrens education continuously. Children who are immigrants or from the outskirts often tend to visit their desh or home , to look after ailing family members or due to lack of opportunities for their parents. In such conditions there persists a huge gap in the childrens education both in the formal schools and the naba disha centres. Such a persisting problem creates hindrances in proper mainstream of these children. 3. Several children have to work after school either helping their parents or trying to earn for the family or doing household work which renders them unable to attend regular classes at the centres which again creates a gap in their education. 4. Some children are extremely prone to abuses and abusive languages which create in them a sense of insecurity. These children who hail from the crime prone sections of the city are almost always subject to ill treatment and abuse. Such psychological pressure often hinders their learning abilities and the ND Teachers have to provide extra support to them through counseling and extracurricular activities.
5. Children who hail from diversely multilingual communities and are using mixed dialects of two or

more languages are unable to have complete grip over one language entirely. They sometime get confused; however the teachers at the centers provide extra support to such candidate.

CONCLUSION: The nabadisha initiative has become a standing example of implementation of unique pedagogies to spread universal elementary education in Kolkata. Now the influence of their methods are such that they are being incorporated in government schools are well. Vikramshila also organized a 8day workshop on sensitization on RTE and NCF for 60 government schools in collaboration with Sarva Shikhsha Mission. According to the director of Vikramshila Mrs Shubhra Chatterji, the ND programme has come a long
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way since its initial days of facing stringent opposition from the communities and having to take classes on the footpath as well. It took more than four years of trust building before the communities allowed them to start centers in their localities. Now the ND centers are an example of how education should not just be bound to rote learning and books. Children from marginalized communities are mainstreamed through innovative pedagogy and advocacy trainings, thus creating in them a sense of self confidence and security. However some of the centers are new and awareness is yet to reach all the members in the communities. The students at the centers act as community ambassadors spreading awareness and creating advocacy. They have campaigns and other group activities that create in both the children and community a sense of solidarity and mutual respect for each other. Several of the core teachers at the ND initiative have opined that they have a come a long way in overcoming the barrier created by language and dialects. The multilingual nature of the precincts of Kolkata does create a hindrance for the children to be socialized in formal language. However such homogenization is primary for utility purpose for the government schools to teach in one language.

The ND initiatives not only help the children understand and learn other languages through their unique methods but also instill in the children the values, norms , hobbits necessary for them. Children are able to use all their capabilities in the centers, they pain, act, dance , write poetry along with the academic help they receive. The ND initiative comes across as an innovative route to free and fair education among the marginalized sections of the society and proves itself a grand success in the process.

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1. Annamalai, E.2001. Managing Multilingualism in India _Political and Linguistic Manifestation in

Language and Development Series, no. 8.

2. Bourdieu Pierre and Passeron Jean Claude(1997) Reproduction In Education , Society ,And

Culture, Sage Pulications

3. Chambers J K 1995 Sociolinguistic Theory. Linguistic Variation and its Social Significance.

Blackwell, Oxford, UK 4. Chomsky N (2000): New Horizons in study of Language and Mind, Cambridge University Press.
5. Council for Teacher Education, New Delhi in collaboration with National Council of Educational

Research and Training (2006). Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (2006). New Delhi, India: Author
6. Fishman, J. (1979). Bilingual education, language planning and English. English WorldWide,1(1),

1124. 7. Jenkins L: Biolinguistics, Cambridge University Press. 8. Manjali F D (1998): Language Culture and Cognition, Bahri Publication, New Delhi.
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9. Mohanty A K (1994): Bilingualism in Multilingual Society, Central Institute of India Languages Silver Jubilee Series, Mysore 10. Pattanayak D P (1981): Multilingualism and Mother Tongue Education, Oxford University Press.

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