Illustration: soumyadip sinha
CHENNAI: 17-year-old Kalaivani Karuppaya, a medical aspirant from Dindigul district flashes a bleak smile as she accepts our WhatsApp video call. “Tension ah iruku akka,” says the first-generation learner, days before the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a bill allowing medical admissions without The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). “I have witnessed my mother work hard day and night in construction sites and households to provide me with education. She had no support… What support can you expect from a father who is an alcoholic or a family that disowned the woman (my mother) because of the man’s toxic behaviour? I am confident that I will become one of the best medical practitioners in the country.
But to get there, I just need to cross these obstacles. Thandiduven akka (I will overcome them),” she says. In the background, on the cracked wall of her house, the photograph of a face familiar to those from the state and beyond, hangs with a jasmine garland around it. “Anita akka had hopes of a bright future but her dreams ended too soon. For the last three years, I have prayed to her when I’ve needed the strength. She is the face of the state’s anti-NEET agitation.
Though she is a stranger, she is a beacon of hope for me and many first-generation learners like me. Enakku avange kadavul (She is my god). I will make her proud,” she says. “I’ll make my degree count. I’ll give back to society,” she adds. A little over two weeks ago, people across the world observed International Literacy Day, opening dialogues on the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights for a sustainable society. While the literacy rate in the state is above the national average of 74.04 per cent, the ordeals that first-generation learners like Kalaivani face in their journey of becoming a graduate and landing job opportunities remain a battle against the odds. But ushering in a new age of hope, pulling themselves out of generational cycles of poverty and illiteracy, many in the state have made their way out of the wonky tunnel to a place of abundant light.
Powered by resilience
“When I was a child, I remember my father engaging in cultivation. But since that couldn’t provide enough money to educate me and my sibling, he moved to Chennai and took up a job in a chemical trading company that paid him `1,500 a month. He enrolled us into a private matriculation school. Our life was shaped because of his resilience,” recounts Yeshwanth, a first-generation graduate (FGG) with a degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering. “Appa, during the time, temporarily lost his job and we hit a roadblock. But we tided through. It was especially hard because my brother and I were just a year apart and it meant a cycle of paying tuition fees. We did partly take education loans. In college, I received a 50 per cent concession from the government because I was a FGG. Now, education is my biggest asset,” he shares, indicating that having two graduates was a big step forward for the family. “With my education, I want to create an impact in society and help the community. That is my long-term goal,” says the employee of a China-based firm.
Search for identity
Author Vijitharan too hopes to tap on the education he has received to enable other first-generation learners and graduates like him to find their place in society. After fleeing a war-torn Sri Lanka with his family decades ago, Viji, at 7, found himself tangled amid a debilitating refugee crisis. Living in a 10X10 house within a camp, with strict curfews in place and 300-odd families, he says he faced serious identity issues. “It was a worn-out tapestry of uncertainties, poverty and hardships. We had several restrictions, no benefits, lacked opportunities. It was hard to dream or have a goal. But fortunately, my parents made me study. They wanted us to experience life outside the camp. So amid the chaos, I sought solitude in books and education, and it enriched me,” shares the author of Yethili, a book that traces the lives of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in camps.
The MA Political Science graduate had to juggle between a day job and college to get a degree. “When I was in class 10, there were 80 others like me in my class. But when I climbed the ladder to pursue my post-graduation, the numbers dwindled. I was the only one from my ilk there. I was (sadly) the exception. But I am grateful that my parents considered education important. Otherwise, my life would have not been the same,” says the 31-year-old. “Education has created opportunities for me and in the journey, writing books have become my medium to educate and agitate,” he shares.
Building a new life
“My mother broke down when I graduated,” recalls 25-year-old Nagaraj, a research scientist. Fatherless and with a stay-at-home mother, he had to work part-time, do odd jobs to sustain the family and also pursue a degree in Chemistry. “When I was in class 12, I fell in love with the subject and I knew I had to pursue it. But my dreams weren’t easy to achieve. I worked part-time because I had to pay for my books, college and feed my family. It was a tough situation. But I did everything to ensure I had the degree,” narrates the Avadi resident, who now holds a Master’s in Chemistry. Working in a chemical and pharmaceutical company as a full-time employee, Nagaraj hopes to build a better life, with the comforts they never had. “My first purchase from my salary was essentials for our house and a piece of jewellery for my mother. I want to do more for her,” he shares.
Intersectional struggles
Life has thrown numerous curve balls at Fareeda P, a small-time entrepreneur with cerebral palsy. Losing her father to cancer at 15, mother to suicide at 18, Fareeda had too many mouths to feed at home. “I had two younger siblings. My only goal was to study and raise them. But at that point, I was also exploring my sexuality. I started identifying as a woman. To be a trans person with cerebral palsy in a low-income orthodox household was what nightmares were made of. I had no support from relatives but found help through an NGO for my education,” recounts Fareeda, who has a degree in Economics. “Back then, there wasn’t a lot of priority for FGGs in the job sector. Despite my degree, I didn’t land a job. So I stepped up, borrowed money from a friend I met in college and set up a small stationery shop in my area. I ran it along with my siblings and paid for their education. What we earned wasn’t a lot…but we were happy,” says the 40-year-old.
With Chief Minister MK Stalin now announcing that priority will be given to first-generation graduates in jobs in the government sector, Fareeda, like Kalaivani, lives on hope. “The poor and marginalised have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to education and opportunities. Today, I have upgraded my shop and earn well. My siblings work in IT companies and are well-settled. Being a graduate and an entrepreneur has enabled me carve a name for myself and forget my traumatic past. I want to support the education of youngsters who want to study but don’t have the means, especially those from the LGBTQIA+ community and those with disabilities,” she shares.
Literacy rate in Tamil Nadu
The literacy rate is a significant marker and a key for socio-economic progress. Here are some stats which show TN’s share.
Male 86.77% , Female 73.14%
Between 2001 and 2011, the effective literacy rate increased by about 7%
First Generation Graduates (FGG) in TN and NEET
The overall percentage share of FGG in MBBS admission after NEET has reduced from 24.94% in 2016-17 to 14.46 % in 2020-21 in the Government lot. The FGG segment was the worst affected, which lost almost 45 % of its share that it enjoyed in pre-NEET to the non-FGG group in the post-NEET.
Source: High-Level Committee Report on the impact of NEET on Medical Admissions in TN
Learning gaps during the pandemic
8% of (sample) children were estimated to study online regularly in rural areas
About 37% were not studying at all
Nearly 42% of children in classes 3-5 from the rural household were unable to read a single word
Class 2 About 65% in urban areas and 77% in rural areas could not read more than a few letters
Source: School Children’s Online and Offline Learning (SCHOOL) Survey taken in August 2021
Promises
In August, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that priority will be given to first-generation graduates in jobs in the government sector.
Foundational literacy
In August, the Tamil Nadu government announced the Ennum Ezhuthum Mission to tackle learning loss and ensure foundational literacy. The initiative will be implemented in government schools across the state
OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
The aim is to ensure that all students in TN’s government schools receive age-appropriate reading
and arithmetic skills.
LIVING A LIFE SHE LOVES
Ayyanavaram resident Maria’s* route to landing a place in the social sector was not without challenges. “When I was in class 12, my parents discontinued my education and asked me to stay at home. But I always wanted to study. When I got married in my 20s, my husband made me study further. I completed my BCom, attended a Tally course and a computer course,” she shares. The NGO worker says that she is now living her best life.
