Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

deprived sections favor the survival and strengthening of Government institutions, as they
know that it is impossible to meet the financial demands of the private agencies. This was
very clear in the demand for a Government High school in Parappanangadi, which lacks
one. The drive for privatization of education will increase the demand for some kind of
alternate forms, which is at present sought to be answered by the Open school system.
However, it is also likely to result in another form of educational enterprise and education
will be beyond the reach of the ordinary people.
Gulf migration and migration to other parts is likely to be encouraged. However, a
substantial share of the out-migrants from the region has been as casual laborers.
Recently the number of skilled laborers going to the gulf has been increasing. The
privatization of education particularly technical education means that the skilled labor
will be the prerogative of the elite, and the out-migrant going as casual laborer will be in
no way better than the people who migrated earlier. Thus the laborer on whom there was
higher investment will come back with higher returns, and those who are poor will return
as poor. That is, the upward mobility displayed in the earlier phase of gulf migrations will
not be shown in the later phase.
All these would definitely imply the widening of the divide between the rich and the
poor, and the marginalization of a large number of people, particularly the economically
and socially deprived, and women. There is one force which can still reverse the fortunes
within the framework of the market forces, and that is religion. Religious forces can still
ensure the upward mobility of the deprived in various forms, by giving free education,
and giving them proper opportunities, without of course transgressing the religious
interests. They can do this only by deviating from market considerations even
fractionally. For example, a purely self-financing institution run by a religious
institution is no better than a commercial agency, even if they claim that they do it by
preserving ‘moral values’ Thus any form of attention to the interests of the people of the