Today I am not
going to recite my poem on the stage of state-wide Dalit Poet Sammelan
organised by Gujarat Sahitya Acadamy, a literary body controlled by government.
Reason:
Gujarat
government is not implementing Right to Education Act, 2009. In Ahmedabad city
alone there are 842 private schools and government has notified only 382
schools for the implementation of 25% quota for economically weaker sections.
In entire Gujarat more than 95,000 seats are available and can be notified, but
only 20% of them have been allotted for poor kids. Hundreds of parents are
running from pillar to post, from DEO office to schools to get admission for
their kids. But, DEO has closed the admission process and there are still many
vacant seats in private schools.
NGO Dalit Hakk
Rakshak Manch (DHRM) has filed PIL in Hon’ble Gujarat High Court and Hon’ble
court has issued notices to 582 private schools warning them to face FIR if the
Act is not implemented. This is a historical moment for the educational rights
of poor, dalit kids. If the Act is properly implemented it will give free
education to more than one lac poor kids in private schools and save one
billion rupees of poor parents. Gujarat government is also not implementing RTE
in tribal areas, where standard of public schools is very low.
Gujarat
government is celebrating 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb
Ambedkar. Celebrating Babasaheb’s anniversary is a good thing. But, when
thousand of poor, dalit kids are deprived of quality education and crores of
rupees are spent in the name of celebration, I can’t remain silent. Gujarat
government has always sidetracked basic issues of public good in the name of
celebrations and ruined millions of rupees. If government wants to pay homage
to Babasaheb Ambedkar, it should spend this amount for the poor, dalit
students.
I hope my fellow
dalit poets will understand the hollowness of this socalled celebration and
join with me to achieve real but unfulfilled mission of Babasaheb Ambedkar.
(note:I am least
concerned about so-called ‘independence’ of government Acadamy. If this Acadamy
is ‘independent’ it may become another Sahitya Parishad, another front of upper
caste writers who are not ready to give any space to dalit writers.)
