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No kid in school, no ration -ASRP Mukesh
-The Telegraph

Ranchi: If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to send her to school.

A newly elected mukhiya of a panchayat in Bokaro district, has come up with a unique method to force villagers to send children to school regularly by withholding ration supplies and other welfare benefits from the family if the student doesn't clock 80 per cent attendance.

Mukhiya Ajay Kumar Singh (40) of Bundu panchayat, which is 38km from Bokaro district headquarters and around 88km from Ranchi, may have hit where it hurts the most, but he believes this seemingly tough condition will ensure children don't drop out of school or go so irregularly that they fail to learn.

Singh's panchayat comprises 11 wards with a population of over 4,000, and five schools, one middle (Classes I to VIII) and four primary (Classes I to V) institutions. But, like most villages, most children enrolled in schools did not attend classes everyday, some absenting themselves for months on end.

Singh, who did not forget that education had been one of his poll planks during his campaign, decided to do something about it once he was sworn in. "I thought, it's time to work on the things I promised," he said, a refreshingly original mindset among elected leaders.

"So, I thought the best way to compel parents to send students to school was by formally withholding state benefits if they did not."

So, after January 21, when all mukhiyas were sworn in, during a couple of consultative meetings on Yojana Banao Abhiyan, the state's flagship public consultation drive before preparing the 2016-17 budget, Singh proposed his brave idea at the Petarwar block office.

"I said families who don't see to it that their children have less than 80 per cent attendance should not get ration under public distribution scheme, Indira Awas, old-age pension and other social security benefits. To qualify for free government scholarships to SC, ST, OBC and other reserved category students, 90 per cent attendance is a must," Singh said.

Initially, there was some opposition, but Singh, by his own admission, didn't budge. "I explained why people should become accountable for their children going to school. Gradually all ward members came on board and we introduced this rule from February 1," Singh said, adding the purpose was not to harass anyone or deprive them from government-sponsored social security schemes, but to make society at large understand the value of schooling children.

Agreed Seema Devi, Petarwar block pramukh. "The sole purpose of introducing the attendance rule is to make people accountable to their children's futures. It's like you have to earn your rights to PDS, Indira Awas and other subsidies by sending your children to school not once in two weeks but daily, without fail," she said.

Singh added he implemented the tough rule around a week ago. "I stopped sanctioning ration to around 10 households. They protested, but I told them, I am not asking for bribes. Send your children to school and get ration," he said.

What happened then? "They listened," chuckled the mukhiya. "In fact, two parents found out their children, who left everyday telling them they were bound for school, were playing truant. This was a good thing, because what's happening is that parents have now become more cautious about keeping tabs on kids," he said.

Singh, who has completed his intermediate, wants his sixth grader daughter to study as much and for as long as she wants. "Why only my daughter, I want all children here to study, discover what they want to do in life and unlock their fullest potential. This can only be possible if they go to school everyday," he said.

Bhagirath Bakshi, the principal of Balika Madhya Vidyalaya in Petarwar, said the initiative would work. "My school has 300 students on rolls, but attendance used to be anywhere between 100-150 on an average. This month, many girls who perhaps used to come once or twice a week or even a month before, are suddenly coming every day. We will compile the comparative figures soon," Bakshi said.