Photo Courtesy: Image by Tyli Jura from Pixabay | For Representational purpose only.
‘To address social injustice or discrepancies, we have to look at the root cause’
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | February 19
Even as the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, reflecting several other aspects such as inequal access to basic human rights, education, employment, healthcare, etc, Richard Belho, Founder & Chairman, Zynorique Initiatives, strongly maintained that, “there are so many areas, where if you look at the problem, you will find that one problem is linked to another problem.”
“Everything is a loop,” he asserted on the eve of World Day of Social Justice that is annually observed on February 20, serving as a crucial reminder of our collective responsibility to create a world where every individual can live free from discrimination and inequality.
In this context, Richard Belho also looked back at the time when the British government gave independence to India and democracy became the voice of the majority.
However, in this regard, he underscored that the only way the majority can have the same voice is when education is prioritised and more weightage is given to educationists. Observing that, “people educating our children are also not in the ideal profession”, he impressed upon that most teachers are there for the sake of employment.
Stating that the country as a whole did not acknowledge the importance of a teacher, he stated that, “then, we become a society that is producing mediocre people, who are not really passionate.”
Pointing out that, “we don’t really see people fighting for important things but fighting for petty issues”, he underlined that, genuine voices are lost as a result.
To address social injustice or discrepancies, he underlined that, “we have to look at the root cause” while reiterating that educationists need to be celebrated and that the whole country has to rejoice in good education.
In Nagaland, he further highlighted that, “people don’t give attention to educational qualification but are only worried about whether you have cracked civil services examinations or hold a government job.” Pointing to another sad reality, he also cited that, “only when you become rich, the society considers you an asset and nobody really cares about what your education.”
“This is our attitude at this point of time with the gap between the haves and the have-nots increasing while people who can speak out right don’t have a platform”, he remarked while asserting that, “we can’t have a better future” if the root cause of the problem is not addressed.
‘Take into account all sections of society for social equity’
When it comes to social justice, Seno Tsuhah, Educator & Honorary Chairperson of NENterprise-Chizami Weaves emphasised that “we have to take into account all the different sections of the society.”
She highlighted that even among the marginalised, there are many intersections again such as the poor, the elderly, or people who are really in the margins and not getting the basic fundamental needs of food, water, or shelter.
In the promotion of social justice in the community or society at large, she underscored the importance of bringing in these marginalized section who are often overlooked.
Stressing on the importance of leaving no one behind, she also stated that, “it is important for us to relook at our approaches as leaders on different levels.” Are we looking at the lens of gender, common people, poor people? she further posed.
To mark or observe the World Day of Social Justice, she said, “it is important to look at some of the positive changes that we are observing in the last decade and see on what fronts we have moved forward and could move forward but also those we have ignored or forgotten to include, and to see social inclusion from the lens of taking everything and everybody into consideration.”
‘Bridge the gap between rural & urban education to achieve true social justice’
“On the World Day of Social Justice, Nagaland stands at a critical juncture, compelled to confront the profound inequities eroding our social fabric,” Prof Zuchamo Yanthan, School of Social Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi remarked while highlighting that the state is battling formidable challenges such as woefully inadequate access to quality education, flawed policies, rampant educated unemployment, poverty, and a surging influx of illegal migrants, most acutely in Dimapur.
Stating that rigorous analysis unmasks unequal educational access and ineffective policies as the root cause, systematically subverting social justice for our people, he maintained that at the heart of these challenges lies a fundamental injustice, which is the disparity in education.
While social justice is built on the foundation of equal opportunity, he asserted that, in Nagaland, that foundation is uneven. Further citing that there is a profound “Quality Gap” between urban dwellers and rural heartlands, he said that the promise of education is often unfulfilled in the interior villages wherein many schools lack sufficient teachers, basic reading materials, and the technical or vocational training necessary for the modern world.
However, pointing out that students in Kohima and Dimapur benefit from better exposure and resources, creating a two-tiered system of citizenship, he observed that “this divide does more than just fail students” reinforcing a cycle of poverty and forced migration, ensuring that those born in the periphery remain on the margins of the state’s economy.
In the meantime, he dwelt on the paradox of unemployment and the Dimapur market while highlighting that Nagaland faces a persistent unemployment rate of roughly 16%, which surges to over 27% among the youth.
On the Dimapur market, while citing reports from the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU, 2024) and local news outlets, he said, “approximately 90% to 95% of businesses in Dimapur are controlled by non-locals.”
Out of the city’s commerce, he also highlighted that “an estimated 17,055 shops are run by non-Nagas and around 32,700 non-locals are currently employed in the construction and trading sectors (NT, 2024).”
Towards this end, he underscored that, “if these vital sectors including trading, construction, and retail were integrated with a local workforce empowered by quality vocational education, Nagaland’s unemployment crisis would be largely mitigated.”
“True social justice in Nagaland will only be achieved when we bridge the gap between rural and urban education”, he articulated while also putting across that, “by equipping our youth with the right skills and reclaiming the state’s economic heartbeat, we can transform “Educated Unemployment” into “Local Entrepreneurship,” ensuring that the wealth of our land benefits the people of our land.”
