2

Background of the Thar 3

About Gharsisar 8

The issue...primary education 11

And the solution proposed 13

The difference 24

Support solicited 18

Contact us 20

Table of Contents…Table of Contents…Table of Contents…

3

Background of the Thar…Background of the Thar…Background of the Thar… RRajasthan is one of the largest states of the country and

the districts of Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Nagaur

spread over thousands of kilometres form part of the

Great Indian Thar.

Bikaner and Jaisalmer share common borders with Paki-

stan. Since only 1% of the total land is irrigated, the state

remains one of the most socio-economically deprived

states of India. More than half of the total ground water in

the Thar is considered brackish and highly saline.

4

Water has been one of the basic defining components for explaining the settlement pattern in possibly every period of settlement history of the Thar. Interestingly many settlements were abandoned either permanently or temporarily be-

cause of the drying up of a water source. For most of the villages located in the arid drought prone region, rainwater is

still the dominant source of water for subsistence. Potable drinking water is a serious problem and several villages are

still without their own captive ground water source, having to rely on wells and reservoirs several kilometres away. In

summers esp., the communities have to spend a substantial sum of money in purchasing potable water. Shortage of

fodder is another serious problem and is imported from neighboring states at a higher price Absence of timely rains

means that the farming communities do not even recover the cost of sowing, thus leading them towards debt and un-

able to overcome their poverty cycle.

Big and small dunes amidst the sandy deserts interspersed by plain and sandy agricultural

lands mark the topography. These dunes are

formed because of the southwest winds, which blow at great speed from March to

September. Because of these severe sand-

storms, communication links esp. with the

rural areas are badly disrupted, making the

provision of development support services

almost impossible. In the middle of the de-

sert, the vegetation is sparse with only a few

‘Khejdi’ (Prosopis ceneraria) trees and

thorny bushes to break the monotony of the

sand and flat landscape.

5

Around 85% of the population lives in villages. A peculiar feature of the desert demography is

its scattered nature. The scattered communities

and their seasonal settlement patterns make it a

challenge to institutionalize any form of service

delivery – whether health, education, or exten-

sion of banking or agriculture related services. A

combination of subsistence farming and semi

nomadic pastoralism based on the utilization of

large tracts of non-arable and marginalized lands

still forms the basis of much of the region’s ru-

ral economy. The majority of the arable is mono-cropped mostly producing rainfed crops.

The fragile eco-system and typical geo-physical

features lead to fluctuations in production and

peoples’ livelihoods. Owing to poor socio-

economic conditions, a harsh physical terrain

and the presence of recurrent natural disasters

like drought, investment on children at the family level is far from adequate.

The distress migration, though it gives the inhabitants enough opportunity to survive, has obvious long-term repercus-sions in the spheres of health and education of the family members, esp. women and children. This uncertainty does

not let the people come out of the throes of poverty, which is more marked in case of poor people who have always

lacked access to resources and opportunity.

6

The Indira Gandhi Canal* has in many ways been responsible for the disappearing of the grazing lands, severe water logging and salinity, resulting in the displacement of a large number of farmers. Depleting pasturelands are also direct

fallout owing to the sporadic rise in the number of tractors.

The man's role within this community is one of decision-

making and leadership. Men do not participate in the day-

to-day running of the fam- ily while the women, mostly

housewives, are primarily responsible for taking care of

their families. They also help their men folk in subsistence

farming, during the brief months of the rainy season. The

society of this region is characterised by a patriarchal

order where women have a secondary and subjugated status.

This means that women find themselves increasingly

overworked and socially isolated. Traditional conservative practices and the persis- tence of the feudal ethos continu-

ally keep the women in the arid zone silenced, exhausted, and

confined to interiors, veiled and secluded from birth to

death. Women, and in particular, poor women, are thus

invisible and unremuner- ated for their household work.

They and their children, suffer the effects of dislocation and loss of income due to forces that they do not understand or have control over. Further, their economic lives have been mainly subsistence-oriented—to fulfill basic needs. They

have not received their share of education, training, health and livelihood opportunities consistent with their potential,

which will enable them to deal with crises and shocks or improve their well-being.

7

Life is hard and much is a question of hope

and survival. The in-

habitants here have

been living here since

generations and their

way of life is steeped in

tradition. The native populations of the Thar rank as so-

cieties that have one of the lowest literacy rates in the

country. In particular, literacy among women in the rural

areas is abysmally low. The area also has one of the

lower sex ratios in the country.

The absence of flow of scientific knowledge, ideas and expressions and non existence of opportunities has made

conditions unfavorable for adolescents and young people

too. As a consequence, the rural-urban divide is quite

stark and evident in the regions of the Thar.

Development programmes, in the true sense, have rarely reached the poorest families in the region, having had to

filter through a more educated and richer class of people.

The situation is compounded by the persistence of the

older feudal ethos where caste hierarchy and status attract

prestige and hegemony. This has made the poor, the

lower castes and women even more vulnerable to the

manipulations of quacks, market forces as well as the

corrupt bureaucracy.

The disruption and breakdown of the traditional mosaic of material cultures and social communities, ecosystems

and their boundaries, rangelands, bird lands, wildlife,

biodiversity etc., is a part of the on-going process.

The Thar Desert has never been hospitable to large per-

manent settlements due to environmental constraints. In

the ongoing conflict between nomadism and civilization,

our deep-seated

prejudices as civi-

lized human be-

ings has not only

made us greedy,

aggressive and atomised crea-

tures, but has also

made us tragically

oblivious of our

common links

with the nomads.

8

About Gharsisar…About Gharsisar …About Gharsisar …

Village Gharsisar is a small settlement on the outskirts of Bikaner.

History says that about 200 years back, it was one of the districts in the republic of Godara Jats in Jangladesh, whose chief

was Pandu having 700 villages in his state with capital at Shekhsar.

For administrative purposes, although Gharsisar has come under the city limits since about two years now, yet it continues to resemble a loosely underdeveloped and impoverished village.

The inhabitants living in the 400-odd households of Gharsisar, mostly belonging to minority communities, primarily Muslims,

are from a poor socio-economic background. Parents and children toil for daily wages in factories, homes, in agricultural fields and

as unskilled construction workers that usually do not even meet

their daily requirements.

On an average, the families dependent on daily wages get em-ployment for about 15-20 days in a month, which again, to a large extent, is dependent on the agricultural cycle, rains and the pre-

vailing market. The average income for a family here is small and they are only able to buy the very basic necessities. Most

families have borrowed money from money-lenders at high inter-est rates, which add to their vicious debt cycle. Amongst other

factors, the exceptionally low level of education and social aware-

ness make them vulnerable.

Bikaner, also called the city of camels, is a 500-year old desert district in north western Rajasthan. It is situ-

ated at an elevation of 238 meters above sea level with

coordinates 27°58'49"N and 73°18'30"E.

9

Potable drinking water is a serious problem and Gharsisar like several other villages still has to do without its own captive ground water source, having to rely on illegal water connection outlets. One can see women and children

walking to the nearest water point with mud pitchers precariously on their heads. Even the smallest children take part

in this regular and time consuming task. There however exists a community water harvesting structure built by the

ruler of Bikaner which is now in a pretty bad shape, lying uncared for.

Access to basic amenities like primary health care, drinking water, primary education, large family size and lack of opportunities of securing adequate livelihoods have emerged as the major problems faced by the poor households. The houses belonging to poor families have one or

two semi-pucca rooms, which the inhabitants

themselves build using locally available materi-

als like unfired mud bricks and plastered with a

mixture of mud, cow dung and mud. The

houses do not have toilet facilities and the fam-

ily members have to go out in the fields. They

cook food on firewood and cow dung cakes

collected from nearby fields. Very few houses

have underground water storage tanks (Kunds).

Of late, illegal tapping of electricity has be-

come a widely ‘accepted’ practice here.

Chewing of Gutka is common phenomenon in

Gharsisar religiously practiced by both, young

and the old, men as well as women.

10

The communities have been living here for generations and their

way of life is steeped in customs and traditions. A traditional prac-

tice in the rural Thar is that girls post marriage go and stay with

their husband’s family. In the Thar, it is a practice to get the girls

married off very early but she continues to stay with her own fam-

ily. By the time they are 14-16 years of age, a small ceremony

called ‘gauna’ is performed and the girls are sent to her husband’s

family. It might be noted here that the average child bearing age in

the rural regions of Rajasthan is around 15 years.

11

The society here persists to be largely pre literate aural

culture where the written

word either has a limited penetration or is understood by a few. While on paper, it might appear that primary schools

exist on paper in almost every village of the district and that there is nearly cent-per-cent enrolment and retention of all

children attending school, however, if we move beyond the ‘official’ records, one would be revealed a different and a

more complex picture. It is widely spoken that in some schools, even absent children are also marked present, espe-

cially when distribution of dry rations is linked to attendance! There are very few Govt. run upper primary schools/

middle schools in the rural region.

Further, although the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) conceives a vibrant partnership with the communities, this is not the case. Frequent teacher absenteeism, lack of educational materials, discriminatory behaviour of teachers or peers,

use of language that is alien to the language that is spoken at home, absence of female teachers, lack of ability to meet

the school’s academic demands, a poor learning atmosphere, lack of enthusiasm amongst teachers etc. are some of the

other reasons discouraging children’s participation in schools. Pushing

children from one grade to the next (no detention policy) without ensuring

learning not only defeats the very purpose of schooling, but, as voiced by

people, is actually cheating the poorest. There is growing evidence to show

that those who can so afford are already taking recourse to private tuitions

or private schools.

Children from poor households tend to absent themselves for a range of reasons. Parents say it is difficult for them to ‘force’ their children to go to

school, especially when ‘nothing much happens there’. One can easily spot

young girls as well as boys playing cards on the roadside.

The Issue…Primary Education...The Issue...Primary Education...The Issue...Primary Education...

12

When it comes to the overall enrolment rate in schools, girls lag far behind. The gender division of work and added responsibility of household work (which includes taking care of the siblings, attending to milch cows / goats, fetching

fuel wood / fodder, water, running errands and looking after sick family members etc.) on girls in the family directly

impacts on their learning abilities. Given the nutritional status of most poor children, energy levels are low and impact

upon children’s ability to concentrate in school.

Enrolment and attendance is not only determined by economic

situation but also by the social status of groups. The attitudes and

prejudices of teachers and chil- dren regarding social and community

identities of marginal groups in the school also play an important role

in defining educational out- comes for the latter. Despite all tall

claims and the fact that exists a Govt. school here, education is still a

distant dream for many a chil- dren, especially girl children.

These issues are related to ac- cess, the quality of education, existing

social support systems which is coupled by the geophysical, socio-

economic conditions peculiar to the Thar.

Adverse conditions at home and the prevailing social structure hold

back these children from asso- ciating themselves with the main-

stream educational system. This has resulted in serious social implications, both within the family as well as within the

society. The well being of the next generation also depends upon these factors.

And yet…Institute of Fundamental Studies and Research is convinced that ‘There is a notable willingness amongst the

poor to pay (although ability is often limited or non-existent), and to make sacrifices for what they perceive to be good

quality education at an affordable cost’.

13

Institute of Fundamental Studies and Research

(IFSaR) is a not-for-profit organisation pro-

moted by committed individuals who have

extensive knowledge and working experience pertaining to the life, culture, issues and challenges faced by the socially

and economically vulnerable and marginalised communities of the Thar. The organization was registered in the year 2006 under the Rajasthan Societies Act, 1958 with a view to find innovative solutions to some of the fundamental

issues faced by the poor and deprived communities.

The organisation aims to empower the rural communities in the harsh, predominantly barren and remote desert region of the Thar by offering them strategic support and guidance that would initiate and sustain socially just and optimum

ecological practices. Activities vary according to the needs and situation of the specific area.

In order to bring about qualitative change exclusively in the lives of the children coming from a poor socio-economic background and

with a view to reduce the wide gap between urban India (the

‘technology-rich’) and rural Bharat (the ‘technology-poor’), IFSAR

Upper Primary School, a day-boarding school was established in vil-

lage Gharsisar, Bikaner in 2009. The school is recognized by the Dept.

of Education, Govt. of Rajasthan for providing education up to class

VIII and follows the State Govt. Board’s curriculum. This establish-ment was conceived not merely as a school but as a rural centre for

learning.

And the Solution Proposed...And the Solution Proposed...And the Solution Proposed...

14

Convincing and motivating parents…

As most children happen to be first time school goers, the school has a difficult task in con-vincing and motivating the illiterate parents to send their children esp. girl children to school.

It’s a tough call for the parents too as they have to make sacrifices too – sending their wards

to schools means that they now have to forego whatever additional income their children

would otherwise bring home. On the contrary, they now have the additional burden of shell-

ing out money towards tuition fees and some very basic stationery.

By allowing the girls to enroll themselves in schools, the mothers would now have to do without additional domestic help back home. But the biggest beneficiary is perhaps the girl

child herself, whose marriage is deferred at least till the time she is in school.

Positioning…

Again, those who are willing to educate their children are faced with two choices – either send the children to Govt. schools, in which they see ‘no purpose’ or send them to private

schools where the cost of education is virtually out of bounds for the economically weaker

sections. IFSAR Upper Primary School charges a nominal fee (between Rs. 50 - Rs. 100 pm)

primarily to cover the rental / electricity costs and to ensure ownership and commitment of

the parents. Preference is given to girl children.

How is this school different...How is this school different...How is this school different... The school does not assume that it can end

illiteracy once and for

all; or that it can pay

adequate attention to

all aspects of educa-

tion. It can at best act

as a catalyst, contribut-

ing to illiteracy reduc-

tion through strategic

interventions, linking

and learning.

The school aims to make quality and ho-

listic education acces-

sible at an affordable

cost to children from

marginalized sections

of the society through a variety of innovative

community based in-

terventions. Over 80

children are currently

benefiting from this

school.

15

Thrust on vocational education…

Children in classes VI and above are al-ready being exposed to skills in English

proficiency, basic computers and other soft

skills. Once children complete class VIII,

they would have the option of opting for a

vocational course of their choice, if they so

desire i.e. To start with they would be of-

fered traditional courses like electrical fit-tings, plumbing, tailoring, masonry, com-

puter skills etc. The list would be upgraded

with time in tune with the market relevance

and demand.

Social and economic empowerment of

mothers…

Institute of Fundamental Studies and Research realizes that it is vital to work with those women who have sent their children to school. Accordingly, the

mothers of these children are members of Self Help

Groups initiated by the organization.

Besides inculcating the habit of regular savings, ef-forts are also undertaken to find alternate and digni-

fied sources of livelihood for these women. In times of emergencies, these women can now borrow money

at minimal rate of interest. An increase in their in-come levels improves the probability of the children

being sent to school with relative ease.

In the days to come, the school would have its own captive sources of income generation. Needy chil-

dren (in the order of priority) would be made partners (subject to the parents’ consent) in the programme,

wherein the children would put in about an hour’s work either before or after school hours. This, we

believe would supplement the family’s income and would act as an incentive to send the children to

schools instead of to factories or other work places.

Linking and

learning...

Again, this

throws up a good

reason for the

school to link

with the Open

Schooling Sys-

tem for classes X and XII. Along-

side with voca-

tional education,

regular and me-

thodical teach-

ing / coaching

would be offered

to the children

who opt to ap-

pear for Board

examinations.

16

Health camps...

Health camps are organized once every 4-6 months wherein the children (of the

school), their parents and other members of the community get

free checkup and treatment.

For those suffering from com-mon ailments, medicine is offered free of cost. The Hb

count of those children (esp girls) suffering from anemia

(quite common amongst girls and women in this region) is

noted at regular intervals.

Participatory

approach...

A school devel-opment and moni-toring committee

has been formed which is ade-

quately repre-

sented by mem-bers of the com-

munity and par-ents. This committee meets at regular intervals to discuss and

review the functioning and progress of the school.

Also, children are involved in the decision making process wherever possible. They are consulted on the school timings, the examination dates, the annual vacations etc. This is cru-

cial because most children assist their parents during the agri-cultural season and in other household activities. To compen-

sate for this, the children opted for a mere 15-days annual

vacation in June 2010.

By handing over the lock and the keys of the school to the children, faith is entrusted upon them. This gesture has incul-

cated the habit of honesty (and responsibility) in children.

Learning Centre...

Very soon, a rural learn-ing centre that would re-main open after school

hours and managed by the

school children them-

selves is to come up in the school premises which

would initially have books / indoor and outdoor

games.

This step would arrest the tendency of these children to act as mischief-mongers

on the streets. Further-more, the children of this

school would be involved in imparting literacy to

members of the commu-nity. Topics on health

awareness and social awareness and legal aware-

ness would also form part

of the curriculum.

17

Projected Milestones...

The school realizes that in the future it would need to strategically tie up with training institutes, agricultural institu-tions / business establishments (construction/tailoring/hospitality etc. to name a few), Govt. bodies and NGOs if it is to

nurture into a complete rural learning centre.

For the moment, the school has four teachers and operates from a rented building. In the days to come, the school would strive to :

• Enhance the quality of teaching by hiring the services of experts and professionals, including counselors

• Apply appropriate emerging technologies (and this would include ICT based interventions like radio/mobile

phones/computers/internet etc.) in the realm of education

• 2010-2011:- Shift to its own premises which would give the school a permanent address and so that vocational

training activities might commence

• 2011-2012:- Develop hostel facilities for the benefit of children from remote and far-flung settlements

• 2012-2013:- Establishment of Industrial Training Centre (commencement of vocational training activities)

• 2014-2015:- Establishment of Teachers Training Institute

18

Here’s the break-up of expenditure (approx.) involved in the running of the school for the period July 2010—June 2011

(based on actual cost at current levels)

Support Solicited...Support Solicited...Support Solicited...

Head Details Amount

(INR)

Salaries for Teachers 2 teachers @ Rs. 2,500/- pm and 2 teachers @ Rs. 3,000/- pm 1,32,000

Salary for Clerk cum Acct. 1 person @ Rs. 2,500/- pm 30,000

Rent Rental incl. electricity and water @ Rs. 3,000/- pm 36,000

Transportation For teachers / volunteers @ Rs. 3,000/- pm 36,000

Stationery Routine school stationery incl. photocopy, printing @ Rs. 600/- pm 7,200

Communication Telephone and internet @ Rs. 1,200/- pm 14,400

Events Independence day/republic day/Id celebrations/competitions @ Rs. 2,000/- p.a. 2,000

Misc. Contingencies 3,000

Total 2,85,000

Note:- The present rented school building has three classrooms. To provide for more spacious seating arrangements, we are currently in the process of adding four more classrooms by constructing asbestos sheds (with a layer of locally

available grass/mud at the top to keep away the heat). The cost for this is expected to work out to Rs. 10,000/-

19

Set of requirements for improved functioning of the school…

• Computer incl. printer scanner—01 no.

• Maps & charts (standard requirements)

• CDs/DVDs (science, space, geography, health, other relevant mtrls. stories of inspiration)

• Desks and benches (2-seater) for children in class VI & above (20 children)

• LCD projector (with screen) – 01 no.

• Sports mtrls. (indoor – carom, chess, scrabble, jigsaw etc. & outdoor – shuttle, rings,

flying disk etc.)

• Simple telescope & microscope – 01+01 nos.

• Individual volunteers who can (understand the prevailing socio-economic conditions of the

communities and) assist in (i) documentation, (ii) making case studies and (iii) preparing a

roadmap/ business plan for the school

• Individuals who can assist us in designing and printing of brochures

• Professionals who can design a web page and offer space on (web) site

• individuals who can arrange for tie-up with institutions that can impart vocational skills/

training to children (for girls and boys who have completed Cl. VIII and above)

• Books for library & other teaching / learning mtrls.

• Maruti-omni van for all transportation purposes—01 no.

• Land (Three bighas approx 81,675 sq.ft.). One bigha or 165 ft. x 165 ft. (27,225 sq.ft.) is

the standard measure and would cost around Rs. 8 lacs at prevailing land prices.

As against the actual cost incurred in running of the

school, what we get by way

of tuition fees is meager,

barely enough to cover the

cost of rent and electricity/

water charges.

IFSAR Upper Primary

School humbly solicits your

encouragement, support and

continued patronage so the

children of the Thar may too

realize their potentials…

20

You too can support the school by :

• making available the above mentioned

requirements (either in cash or in kind) in

part or in full

• sponsoring the education of a child @ Rs

300/- per child per month (half-yearly

feedback report would be made available)

• making a direct contribution

• opting for a fixed deposit in school’s

name (based on a mutual agreement be-

tween the school and the depositor).

While the principal amount would be re-

turned to the depositor on maturity, the

amount earned by way of interest would

go to the school

We genuinely believe that together we can make a difference in the lives of the children

from the socially and economically disadvan-

taged communities. Those of whom are in-

terested may kindly get in touch with us for

any further details or clarifications.

Bank Details

Institute of Fundamental Studies and Research

Bank of Baroda, Sardul Ganj, Bikaner-334003, Rajasthan (India)

SB A/c No. 18650100008561

RTGS / NEFT IFSC Code : BARB0SARDUL

Note : Contributions are exempted from tax under Section 80-G of

the Income Tax Act.

Contact Us

Institute of Fundamental Studies and Research

Amita / Viswanathan Deepak (+91 94132 65010);

Manoj Kumar Singh (+91 94134 81081)

I-7, Ballabh Garden, Rajmata Sudarshana Nagar, Bikaner-334003,

Rajasthan, India