Day One: On Affirmative Action, Policy Makers, Schools, and the One Percent
Winter School 2017 (Part 2)
Disclaimer: Experiences differ from person to person, and it is not necessary that my views are meant to either support or refute yours. In fact, they may have been expressed in a completely different context. Please bear that in mind while reading. Thank you.
What exactly happened during those four days at Winter School? For those who were not present and for the sake of preserving the experience as a memory, I would like to take some time to briefly jot down my key takeaways from the sessions.
Day One began with an introductory session wherein the student coordinators, Ankit and Saumya, introduced us to Prof. Rakesh Basant, a professor at IIMA and the first speaker for the day, and Prof. Ankur Sarin who heads the RTE Resource Center at IIMA. We were then asked to split ourselves into groups of six or seven and get to know each other, for we would then be asked to introduce someone else from our group to everyone else during the final round of introductions. I quite enjoyed this session as it encouraged conversation from the first hour itself, ensuring that we would not remain hesitant or uncomfortable among a group of strangers. There were around 65 participants in all, and though it remained a difficult task to remember each other’s name as we began to interact more during the course of those four days, I can personally say that I still remember the name of every person who was in our group that day. We may not have interacted with each member again for the rest of the days, but it felt good to have that initial understanding of the person and what had potentially drawn him/her to the Winter School.
To give you a brief idea about the background of the participants, we had participants from Ahmedabad, Assam, Bihar, Bhubaneshwar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jharkhand, Kolkata, Surat, and more. There were people who were Teach for India (TFI) fellows and Gandhi fellows; students pursuing their BBA, B.Com., and B.Tech. degrees; others pursuing their Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, M.A. in Education, Masters in a field centering on Early Childhood Development; one into consulting; and whatnot! Further, the participants came from institutes such as Ahmedabad University, Delhi University, IITs, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), etc. (As this is purely memory-based, I have probably left out some names!)
After the introductions got over, we formally began the day.
- Day 1, Session 1: Affirmative Action — Prof. Rakesh Basant (IIMA)
Prof. Basant familiarized us with the concept of affirmative action, i.e. a positive discrimination towards something. Though affirmative action may be prevalent in different areas, we discussed this in the context of reservations, mainly in the education sector in India. The discussion was based on research by Prof. Basant wherein through regression of the data collected, they had reached the conclusion that were it Constitutional, reservation in the education sector should be determined on the basis of parental education across socio-religious categories (SRCs). [One can go through the research paper here.] The resulting discussion revolved around students putting forth their questions and ideas and why they agree or disagree with the conclusion(s) drawn from the research.
Takeaways:
Policies are made on certain bases. They may not always be “wrong” as perceived by the masses. We need to change our perceptions regarding certain policies and ask ourselves why they have been formulated. We need to probe deeper into the history and motivations which led to such policies being formed. And then, we need to ask whether that basis is still relevant today. Can it be improved upon? How? For, as one of the speakers mentioned, policies are always good-intentioned though they do not affect everyone equally or in the same manner. So we should aim to make them address those who require the support of the policies the most.
I would like to point out here that throughout the four days, I appreciated the coordinators’ and professors’ willingness to accommodate our questions even when we were overshooting the time designated for each session. We did have to cut back on our break times more often than not, but the learnings that came from those two or three questions asked post the official time limit would not have taken place had the organizers kept the timings sacrosanct. One can always argue for or against the same, but these are broadly my views!
2. Day 1, Session 2: Cake Cutting Exercise — Prof. Ankur Sarin (IIMA)
I really wouldn’t want to elaborate much on this session as it would take away the entire charm of the cake cutting exercise for any future participants of Winter School. Undoubtedly, this was one of the sessions that I along with plenty of other past and fellow participants enjoyed the most. Let’s just say, if you like cake, you will need to wait before they let you savor it. (Don’t lose your appetite in the meantime! It’s well worth the wait.)
Takeaways:
Who decides who should get how much of a resource? Ideally, in a democracy, the people should come together to deliberate in a civilized manner to resolve such a conflict. However, there is always a tradeoff between equity and efficiency. “Life isn’t fair, deal with it,” as one participant put it.
Also, on another tangent, who is a policy maker? Are you a policy maker? Think about it. What ensures that the policy is implemented? You or the ones who formulate it? (Definitely some food for thought, here!)
3. Day 1, Session 3: Privilege Walk — Prof. Navdeep Mathur (IIMA), Prof. Ankur Sarin (IIMA)
Well! This is also another one of those sessions that I wouldn’t want to reveal to others without letting them experience it firsthand. All the same, I will mention that our group of 65 was divided into two sub-groups for this activity, without the second group getting to know what the first group was doing — while the first group later watched on when the second group did the same activity.
Takeaways:
We all are essentially born with a level playing field. However, because some of us receive certain privileges which others don’t, we tend to occupy a place nearer to the finish line without having done anything to deserve that while the others inadvertently have to fall behind for the same reason. The ones who are behind may have made twice or thrice the effort made by those closer to the finish line to reach the finish, but they are only able to go so far before the trophy is lifted by the one who is ahead. So, who wins? The one who puts in more effort? Or the one who lifts the trophy? [In life, it happens to be the latter. Again, some food for thought here!]
4. Day 1, Session 4: Schools: Solution or Part of the Problem? — Prof. Rajeev Sharma (IIMA)
Prof. Sharma gave us a case from a news article which elicited a discussion on the objective of schools throughout the course of history, how we perceived it, what it should be, and how we, as individuals, can bridge that gap. Prof. Sharma also shared the title of some books, which I shall list here for future reference:
- “Challenge of Affluence” by Avner Offer
- “The Tyranny of Choice” by Renata Saleci
- “Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh” by Helena Norberg-Hodge
- “The Beautiful Tree: Indigenous Indian Education in the Eighteenth Century” by Dharampal
- “Free to Learn” by Peter Gray
The objective of the discussion was to figure out what could be a possible preventive method for the problem mentioned in the case.
Takeaways:
The media, accepted social standards, the race for high paying jobs, etc. play a part in putting undue pressure on students. Hence, the mental health and the psychological makeup of a child are key.
There is a difference between parental expectations and parental pressure.
Technology and development have increased our choices due to increased production and thereby, increased income levels. However, they have not brought about an increase at the same rate in the capacity of individuals to make the right decision/choice.
Previously, when joint families and the sense of community were prevalent, family members could talk to each other or to their neighbors. This helped solve a lot of problems and was especially helpful for kids to unburden themselves. However, the shift in the social structure towards a nuclear family has led to a reduction in these conversations.
The preventive method, as mentioned above, would be to start a conversation with your own parents, neighbors, and friends. Explore your choices as parents may have a limited exposure (to career paths). Counseling is also an option.
5. Day 1, Session 5: Substance and Drug Abuse — Mr. Ajaz Shaikh (Pursuing Ph.D. in Drug (“De”)Addiction)
Ajazbhai talked about drug abuse and drug addiction and how they are more prevalent among kids than we may think them to be. He shared his knowledge regarding the causes of drug addiction and that it may also be biological/genetic (?) in nature. He also used examples to further explain his research on drug addiction among youth.
Takeaways:
There is a difference between drug abuse and drug addiction.
Drug addiction may not always be the victim’s “fault.” Research supports the hypothesis that it can be a form of a genetic disease.
The period from birth till 3–4 years for a baby is of great importance in ensuring that the child does not become easily addicted to drugs in the future.
Parents should ensure that they remain present and give their love and care to their newborn baby. They should avoid fighting in front of their children as it may affect them negatively.
6. Day 1, Session 6: Documentary Screening — The One Percent
Everyone was pretty tired after a mentally exhausting first day of back to back sessions, stretched beyond their time limit because of inquisitive minds bombarding the speakers with cases and questions. However, after quickly getting a bite to eat, most of the participants stuck around to view the documentary which began in the evening after 6:30 p.m. The 80-minute documentary, titled “The One Percent,” is available here. It focused on the wealth gap between the top one percent of Americans in the US and those living at the bottom of the pyramid.
Takeaways:
Wealth accumulation is an addiction, too. So is workaholism.
Excessive wealth accumulation may lead to guilt.
There is a lot going on in this world that I do not know. Have we purposely turned a blind eye or are we just ignorant or maybe naive?
I will let you watch the documentary yourself for you to draw your own conclusions.
7. Day 1, Session 7: Learn with a Purpose — Mr. Sandeep Munjasyar
[Unfortunately, I don’t have a photograph from this session!]
If I am honest, by the time the documentary ended, I was truly exhausted. But, I can also honestly claim that I had stayed awake(!), for the sessions, including the documentary, were too insightful (though some more, some less — depending on person to person and what we could extract) to miss! Since most of us were pretty tired, we agreed to skip the dinner break and instead get on with the last session for the day. Those who wanted to go for dinner were welcome to do so and then rejoin later. Mr. Sandeep Munjasyar talked about the RTERC and their collaborative campaign to spread awareness about Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, 2009 in areas where it would benefit the people the most. Broadly speaking, Section 12(1)(c) of the act says that it is mandatory for private schools to reserve 25% of their seats for the economically weak and disadvantaged sections of the society. One can avail more information on the same here. Hence, Mr. Munjasyar and his team along with the RTERC organized campaigns and walks across cities in Gujarat, including Surat, where the intake of students through Section 12(1)(c) had been previously found to be the lowest. He also shared a presentation with photographs from their campaigns along with statistics showing the positive jump in the intake of students under the said section after their initiative to raise awareness.
Takeaways:
Don’t think that you need someone in order to start something big. Once you start, people will automatically join in. So, don’t hesitate to take that first step.
Sandeep Bhai proved that passion for what one does can rub off on people! He was truly dedicated to the cause, and one could perceive that from the enthusiasm that he exuded during the entire session. Though I have but one key takeaway from his session, I feel that it says a lot, and I am grateful for the motivation that his words carry!
All in all, it was a long first day but one which made us all look forward to what was in store for the coming one. :)
This is part of a series of articles documenting my experience as a participant of Winter School 2017 held by IIMA’s RTE Resource Centre on December 15–18, 2017.
Photo Credits: IIMA RTERC Team
