Kalaunjar, A Short Tour

Kalaunjar has been bombarded with natural disasters every year. In the absence of resources needed to endure the disaster, quality of education has diminished over the years. What was once considered to be one of the best schools in the district has dilapidated into a crumbling mess of egos, complacency and power.

Kalaunjar is the last village in the Kalyanpur block of Bihar, squeezed between three other districts on different sides - Mazzafarpur, Darbangha and Samastipur. Till as recently as 2014 (when the first road reached the village) , the remote location meant delayed access to resources with the village remaining largely cut off from the rest of the state. In 2016, the village was connected to the grid and experienced electricity for the first time. The lack of basic infrastructure coupled with the flood prone nature of the region made education take a backseat in the fight for survival.

In an attempt to shake off the past, Kalaunjar must strive for a triple transition: from surviving the next disaster to preparing for a safer future; from conflicts driven by caste to real and lasting peace; and from complacent illiteracy to active learning. Each of these steps reinforces the others. Kalaunjar remains one of the most backward villages in the district.

Since natural disasters are a common occurrence, breaking out of the survival mode is especially difficult. Yearly floods have depleted the infrastructure in the village and the school. Plagued by a constant fear of the next disaster, any attempt at long-term thinking is undermined and secondary. In 2017, for instance, the floods covered the region for three whole months making the village inaccessible by road.

Unless the different castes are given a degree of autonomy and a room to speak freely, the voices of a few will be louder than others, with other people complying grudgingly rather than willing participants of a decision. All demographic groups aspire to be heard, but some lack the freedom and institutional framework required for equality and effective communication.

Community harmony is critical to creating meaningful learning experiences and furthering development in education. Strengthening the school’s supporting staff, including the management committee and teachers and making them more inclusive, is equally essential to rapid progress.

Kalaunjar’s education ecosystems are similarly in flux. Relationships between the teachers and headmasters are strained, and achieving a learning environment in the political climate of the school requires an immense amount of individual motivation. At the school level, constant shortage of teachers coupled with caste divisions creeping into the classroom has handicapped student learning to a large degree.

The past has not been kind to Kalaunjar, and a new day is desperately needed. The village has lost millions of workers to migration, and will consciously need to retain its upcoming educated generation. Without dramatic changes, lack of infrastructure and conflict will continue to hinder the education of students who are critical to the village’s future. Kaluanjar is at a juncture today and faces numerous complicated challenges. It will be a long and messy road ahead, but if inspired, courageous leaders and people come together, the future can provide a hopeful path forward.