Chinmoyee Gogoi is a Project Manager in Alohomora Education Foundation, Jhajjar, Haryana.
Saswati Paik is a Faculty at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru

Learning gap – A Consistent Issue for Many

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the education system at various levels. There have been a lot of discussions around the loss of learning resulting in an evident learning gap among school-going children, especially at the policy level. Since 2020, India and many other countries are dealing with this crisis more so because of the already existing problem in children’s learning outcomes. The pandemic as a crisis is new to us, but what about the school closure, disruption in schooling increasingthe learning gap, and silent exclusion of children from school? Those are not new issues. Unfortunately, One such recurring and common natural hazard is flooding. In such a situation, the connection between school and community becomes important, which can play a vital role in reassuring the children of a better future through additional academic support and other necessary processes.

Importance of Community Engagement as mentioned by Researchers

Resiliency development in hazard-prone areas plays a crucial role in children’s education. There is a connection between the physical event and social influences of disasters. There is a lot of significance to how people hit by a natural hazard prepare themselves, respond to a particular situation, and understand how local communities can be more resilient. This would help them reduce extreme events’ impact by incorporating a regular practice of long-term planning for prevention and sustainability. The role of the community in taking initiatives and efforts in a challenging area and community
ownership can play a vital role. Community development is one of the most productive ways to improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals within a community (Syme and Ritterman, 2009). Ronan and Johnston suggest starting community engagement through building networks within a community
wherein active participation by all community members can act as a moving force (Kevin R. Ronan, David M. Johnston, 2005). Community development is one of the most productive ways to improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals within a community (Syme &Ritterman, 2009). Community leaders have been shown to be an effective mechanism to support and enable community development in the past (Kirk and Shutte, 2004). Therefore, a theory-based model of community leadership should aid community leaders directly and secondary recipients within the community that benefit from development activities (Barker and Lavalette, 2001). Here we will present the broad scenario of the impact of floods on the children’s schooling and a case of flood-prone areas of Assam where community engagement could bring some change.

Schooling Disruption and Learning Gap

In India, more than 40 percent of the land is flood-prone. In 1976, RashtriyaBarhAyog or the National Flood Commission (NFC) was set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to study the impact of floods in the country. In its report published in 1980, the commission made 207 recommendations. The report stated that the increase in floods was not due to an increase in rainfall, rather, it was caused by anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, drainage congestion, and poorly planned development works. But for the past few decades India is reeling from the effects of climatic change like many parts of the world (Roy, 2021). Global climate change may impact India in such a manner that the areas prone to
natural hazards may become more vulnerable. Let’s look at the issues associated with school disruption in a typical flood-prone area. In most schools, the academic calendar in India starts in May or June and ends in March or April. Due to the monsoon, heavy rain starts in India in the month of May-June. The usual onset of monsoon in coastal Kerala happens in May, and then it reaches the Bay of Bengal coast by mid of June. The heavy seasonal rainfall, therefore, varies a bit in time. Every year Kerala starts experiencing floods due to the onset of monsoon before Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, UP, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam, the most renowned states for seasonal floods situated in the north, east, and north-east parts of India. The typical time of floods ranges from the end of June to October, depending on the location. Also, there are changes in intensity and duration due to various other meteorological conditions such as westerly winds, troughs, formation of low pressure leading to cyclones, presence of shear zone etc. Whatever the reason, the schooling process gets disrupted in multiple ways. Sometimes schools get order from the government to close due to heavy rain and flood in the locality, or school buildings are declared as shelters for local communities or the students can’t reach the schools due to flood water running on the approach road. In all these cases, the learning gap is evident for several weeks and even beyond those weeks. If we calculate the number of school days when a child is out of school due to such natural calamities, in a typical flood-prone area, it may be 1-2 months on average for a child per year.

Evidence from Assam

Let’s take the case of Assam. Here also, anthropogenic factors play a significant role in seasonal floods. There is a lack of a framework to assess the impact of floods in the state. Every year, this is a recurrent phenomenon, and recently the state has been badly affected by severe floods. The worst affected areas are Silchar, Dima Hasao. The community in Silchar experienced its worst flood, and the people in the flood-affected areas have shared that even areas in which the yearly flood would never hit in previous years have been severely affected. For more than a month since the floods hit the area, there was a problem of stagnant water and disruption in electricity supply. A student pursuing BDA from one of the well-known universities in the district shared that they had no clarity regarding the date of resuming their in-person classes. The college authority had to take a long time to figure out the problem of power supply in the area, the classes were disrupted for a month, which may also result in the delay in the final examination. This delay further impacts the admission of students in universities for their higher education.

If we look at the human vulnerability to natural hazards, the severity of effect is more for socially and economically weaker sections. While reputed colleges in Silchar were struggling to reopen their colleges, the area were grappling with similar issues and numerous other problems, some of which
might be long-term.

Researchers worldwide have repeatedly talked about children’s trauma caused by such events more because of the personal and financial losses incurred to their own families and surroundings. In most cases, children affected by natural hazards cannot cope with the learning gaps resulting in their dropping out of the system. It is often a systematic silent exclusion from the system and by the system, more so by following certain rules irrespective of the situation. Here is an example. When some of the schools started reopening in Silcharthis year, where flood havoc took a toll on community life, the children started attending schools from the end of July, a few schools started announcing their unit tests for the children. Here comes the question, what is more important in our education system? Maintaining timeline or assuring learning? A recent report published by UNICEF India, stated that in Assam, as of July 29, 2020, 1,654,984 people, including approximately 6,61,994 children have been affected by the floods in 21 of the 33 districts. Major floods inescapably affect the education process and have a lasting impact on a school andthe adjacent community. Creating a safe space for them to understand their trauma before attending regular academic activities (UNICEF India, 2020).

Majuli, an utterly rural island in Assam, is the largest riverine island in the world. It has now declined to a mere 576 square km due to land erosion. Also, Majuli has been grappling with a dismal education system for decades. While there is a good network of government schools with about 800 schools in the district ensuring 90% enrolment of children, the quality of education is sub-standard at its best. It is unusual to find more than one teacher for an entire Lower Primary School or to see more than five children in attendance in a class where by record 30 are enrolled. A class 10 student from such a school struggles to do even basic arithmetic operations like addition or subtraction. Such children eventually discontinue education, and the education system has failed at giving them relevant or employable skills often go back to sustenance farming and start a family at a very young age, following the tradition of their previous generations. This has resulted in an apathetic community that neither trusts the public system to ensure their welfare nor feels empowered to initiate change to their situation. Almost 80% of the people in Majuli belong to the Scheduled Communities, and almost 75% are subsistence farmers who depend entirely on their land. Owing to the geographical isolation, as the area
is prone to both flood and erosion and other socio-economic factors, the residents of the place have various difficulties to access quality education. According to the ASER report 2018, 68% children in class 5 cannot do simple subtraction, while 60% in class 5 cannot read a Class 2 level Assamese textbook. Ayang Trust is an organisation working in Majuli for systemic transformation of schools through direct interventions in the community to ensure sustainable access to quality education and dignified livelihoods. Through the years, Majuli is hit by the floods, Ayang Trust along with the help of other organisations has helped in the repair of schools, roads and bridges of the villages they are working with. As they highlight that community ownership lies at the heart of the organization, their primary focus in such situations is facilitating community engagement andtaking charge of their problems. They believe such steps also lead to behavioural changes among the community and resilience among them. While disaster management is multifaceted and demands the involvement of several departments, it is believed that building confidence and awareness among the public becomes critical in avoiding panic situations and preparing for an organized approach to disaster management. In 1980, the National Flood Commission (NFC) brought to notice and questioned the efficacy of the various existing methods for controlling floods, like building dams and reservoirs. Instead,better and more effective strategies must be established to tackle the nature of floods strategically. There has to be recognition and in-depth research and analysis at the policy level to continuously understand the changing nature of floods and address people’s needs. We should take to the core one of the critical objectives as highlighted by the National Policy on Disaster Management, ‘Promoting the culture of preparedness, prevention and resilience at all levels through knowledge, innovation, and education.’ Let’s ‘reflect and act.’

Reference:
● Barker, C., Johnson, A., &Lavalette, M. (Eds.). (2001). Leadership and social movements. Manchester University Press.

● Kirk, P., &Shutte, A. M. (2004). Community leadership development. Community Development Journal, 39(3), 234-251.

● Lamm, K. W., Carter, H. S., Lamm, A. J., & Lindsey, A. B. (2017). Community Leadership: A Theory -Based Model. Journal of Leadership Education, 16(3).

● Ronan, K. R., Crellin, K., Johnston, D. M., Finnis, K., Paton, D., & Becker, J. (2008). Promotingchild and family resilience to disasters: Effects, interventions, and prevention effectiveness. Children Youth and Environments, 18(1), 332-353.

● Roy, Pulaha (2021). It’s been 40 years! Update India’s flood map NOW. Down to Earth. July 2021. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/it-s-been-40-years-update-india-s-flood- map-now-78166

● Syme &Ritterman (2009) Community Leadership: A Theory-Based Model.

● Unicef.org. (2020). Retrieved 25 August 2022, from https://www.unicef.org/media/82081/file/India-COVID-SitRep-31-July-2020.pdf.