Sociology Optional (Social change and movements) by Smriti Rao Mishra

Model Answer

Question #1. Poverty alleviation is an achievable goal for which Right to Education needs to be strengthened as it tackles accessibility, affordability, and availability of quality education. Comment. 10 marks (150 words)

Hints

Poverty is a condition of lacking vital resources .In the 18th century in the survey of John Sinclair and FM Eden, it was found that poverty is a social problem. Poverty alleviation has come into picture to address the issue of poverty. Poverty alleviation is some economic, political, and social steps which are taken by individual, community and society to wipe out the scarcity of basic necessity. In India poverty alleviation programs like national food security act and mgnrega put a direct impact on effective poverty management.

However there are many steps taken by the government that put an indirect and stronger impact to achieve the goal of poverty alleviation. 

• RTE is one of them. RTE is a fundamental right under article 21A which provides free and compulsory education to every child under the age 6 to 14.
• Education is an agent of social change. In Parson's view, education promotes the value of achievement and the value of equality of opportunity. So accessibility, affordability and availability of education which is provided by RTE could in long run achieve the goal of poverty alleviation.
• Marginalized sections drag into poverty because of Hunger and illiteracy. Being a fundamental right RTE made education accessible. SarvaShikshaAbhiyanMadhyamikShikshaabhiyan and mid Day meal schemes reduce the dropout rates among children of poor.
• Gender gap among school going children has reduced as girls are the most deprived due to inaccessibility because of various socio cultural constraints. It is the first step towards feminization of poverty.RTE has the power to stop feminization of poverty which in the long run helps in poverty alleviation.

Education has the power to break the poverty perpetuating value system (Oscar Lewis)as it helps in maintaining the status quo and delay poverty alleviation goals.

Education provides social mobility. RTE breaks the Indian social stratification system like caste, status, class with MDM. It helps in poverty alleviation with providing equality of opportunity.

However there are many difficulties in achieving poverty alleviation with the application of RTE.

In Piere Bourdieu terms, there is cultural reproduction. So despite affordability RTE put less impact on poverty alleviation. 

Marxists view education produce more cheap labor. So poverty alleviation goal can be a Utopia.

According to Bowls and Gints , there is a hidden curriculum in every education system which benefits the capitalist with high rates of unemployment, low wages and legitimize inequality. So, the poverty alleviation goal getssidelined.

In the words of Paul Willis, counter school culture developed by the education system leads to semi and unskilled workers. It eventually leads to poverty.

Nevertheless, despite above criticism of RTE, there is no denial that its effective implementation paves the way for poverty alleviation.

Question #2. Examine the invariable impact of climate change on coastal communities in India through a sociological lens. 15 marks (250 words)

Approach:

The impact of climate change is not uniform across the societies. The coastal communities have higher exposure and are much more sensitive towards the adverse impact of climate change as compared to the non-coastal communities. Extreme weather events in the form of frequent cyclones, torrential rains, tsunami etc hinder their social development and reduce their existence to mere survival.

Impact of climate change on coastal communities-

• The theory of the treadmill of production highlights how the constant search for economic growth leads to advanced economies being stuck on a “treadmill,” where their well-being is not improved by economic growth, yet the impacts of this pursuit of growth causes massive, unsustainable environmental damages.
• The pattern of consumption driven by the desire for social status and leisure has created a notion of climate injustice. Various waste in the form of plastic, harmful chemicals etc ends up in the ocean creating the crisis of livelihood (death of fishes) and marine pollution
• Rich-poor dichotomy- The notion of inequality has been not only between nations but also within it. Within nations, toxic and polluting industries have been located in the poorer districts creating food insecurity, water crisis, land degradation etc
• Climate vulnerability leads to social isolation due to their limited ability to cope with environmental stressors.
• Climate change problems results in climate refugees creating the problem of identity, statehood and loss of culture
• The decision-making processes for emissions reductions and adaptation policies tend to exclude the politically marginalized. Mostly it is dominated by resource rich population subjecting them further into poverty

Ecological modernization is a school of thought in the social sciences that argues that the economy benefits from moves towards environmentalism. Sociological studies have highlighted that the institutions of civil society can play a critical role in starting social change through citizen mobilization. 

Sociology has argued for an integrated socio-ecological approach, just sustainability, and plural environmental governance. The underlying reasoning has been to forge a new paradigm with a social dimension focused on both the durability of the environment and the equal treatment of people.