By Robancy A Helen
Trichy, Jan 21, 2020: The Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, Commission for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) organized a capacity building program for Dalit students in the rural areas of Trichirappali, Dindigul and Palayam Kottai dioceses of Tamil Nadu on January 19.
“We identify the abilities of the Dalits students in rural villages so to help them to choose a career which helps them in their future. We believe in this capacity-building program which will guide them to be achievers,” said Father Kulandainathan Adaikalam, secretary for the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, Commission for SC/ST.
As many as 75 students participated in the program.
Dalits, India’s lower-caste population and part of the entrenched social hierarchy, face discrimination and are often denied access to education and employment.
While India banned caste-based discrimination in 1955, centuries-old attitudes persist, and lower-caste groups including Dalits are among the most marginalized communities.
Dalit children and the youth are the most vulnerable in the Indian Society. They need to be capacitated, to be trained and move on to the next stage in life.
The purpose of the capacity building program was to enable the Dalit students and the youth to identify themselves, their abilities and come out from fear and weakness, said Jessy Sagai, Coordinator for the commission.
To develop their personality is to empower them to start to bloom in life with a lot of self-confidence, she added.
As per 2011 census, Christians constitute 6.12 percent of Tamil Nadu’s population and in any Church, whether it is Catholic or Protestant, Dalits account for a minimum of 60 percent.
In some areas, Dalits’ presence has touched 85 percent, 30 percent of Scheduled Caste’s rate of literacy is 70 percent. Even though there are signs to show that the dropout rates, both among Dalits and Tribals are much higher than those of non-SC/ST students.
There are no adequate programs to target these vulnerable Dalit Catholic students who are left behind in the process of development and thus are excluded from having access to resources, benefits and services in society.
Moreover, Dalit students need special care and attention as their needs are special and therefore a formal school will not be able to integrate their interests and aspirations. Therefore, Dalit students need awareness to cater to the educational and overall development.
The educational system of the country is too much preoccupied with syllabus and marks that they often miss the needs of the students—packed in big classrooms and with a large number of students in a class.
A Dalit student is getting lost in the race for acquiring ranks in examinations. It naturally leads to the suppression of a student personality. Such an education system and pedagogy will do little to enable the student community.
Dalit students are mostly based on the rural areas are unable to face the challenge created by the forces of Casteism. Dalit students have absorbed of submissiveness and drastically undergo inferiority complexes that obstruct their access to the outside world.
Father Vincent, a Jesuit priest motivated the students in Palayamkottai and Father Kulandainathan did the same in Trichy. Ms. Amali, a school teacher motivated the students in Dindigul.
The students were motivated and expressed their gratitude and wanted to attend the follow-up program in the future.
“When we try hard, we can achieve our aim,” said Vinoth from Palayamkottai.
Students were happy and expressed their satisfaction.
Bishop Thomas Paulsamy of Dindigul, chairperson for the SC/ST Commission for Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, inaugurated the program in Dindigul.
George Rajendran coordinated the capacity building program in Palayamkottai diocese and Chinnappan in Trichy diocese.
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