There is a perception among researchers visiting Meghalaya that since the literacy rate here is higher than in other states of India, hence human development indices too must be better. But the question is whether literacy is equivalent to education. The answer is a definite “No.” While literacy refers to a person’s ability to read and write, education refers to the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, skills, ethics, habits and beliefs and a deeper comprehension of issues and above all the power to question. Education, it is believed, leads to the overall development of a person’s intellect, reasoning skills, behaviour and sensibility which includes being sensitive to the larger needs of society and not just the immediate self. Hence literacy is just the very first step towards education.
In rural Meghalaya, the stark reality is that the school drop-out rate at the primary and high school level is very high. Girls who drop out at Class 6-7 very soon become victims of teenage pregnancy and by about the age of 20 they have about 5-6 children. The elder children often carry the burden of looking after the younger siblings when the mother goes about her work. It’s a case of childhood being lost too early. If the mother could have been retained up to high school she might have gone on to complete her higher secondary and perhaps even enter college or learn some other skill sets which would serve her in good stead in the village where she comes from. But that’s provided there are higher secondary schools within the village and students don’t have to come all the way to Shillong or the other district headquarters and stay in a rented accommodation which means additional expenses for an already poor family.
In the villages of Meghalaya even today the family size begins at 7 members and could rise to 10-12 in a family. Family planning and even spacing are rejected outright and this is due to lack of education that could instill an understanding in young men and women that a large family where incomes are scarce, means staring at poverty. Children born to such families have no future unless they are exceptionally gifted and can circumvent the adverse circumstances of their birth. An educated young mother would not want her child to wallow in abject poverty because of the lack of opportunities for education. She would then ensure that she does not just give birth to children without planning out a future for the child even before she/he is born. That’s why education is important. It empowers women to plan the family size and to justify why that is needed. A person’s actions and sense of reasoning actually determine how educated that person is. Hence the criticality of education in rural Meghalaya!
