Education of Children and Civil Strife in Chhattisgarh

Children are one of the worst affected groups in the ongoing civil strife in Chhattisgarh. More often than not, they get caught in the conflict between left-wing extremists and security forces (Human Rights Watch 2008). They are prone to attacks, injuries, abduction, recruitment, trafficking, intimidation, abuse and other forms of exploitation. Their right to education is often undermined by the concerns of survival and an overemphasis on law and order problems in these areas. In many cases, provisions of emergency relief do not include education, although it is a fundamental right of children and is regarded as an emergency relief measure (NCPCR 2012). Attacks on schools are common incidents in these areas. Furthermore, there are attacks on the education system, educational provisions, safe learning environment and equal opportunities and uniform conditions for success that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 and the National Policy on Education, 1992, guarantee all children aged between 6 and 14 years. These attacks pose several immediate challenges in achieving universalisation of elementary education and expansion of secondary education in these areas. The present article makes an attempt to ascertain the participation of children in elementary education in one of the worst civil strife-affected districts—Bijapur—of Chhattisgarh and explore the factors, caused by civil strife, that affect the education of children in schools.

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