Education of the Descendants of Refugees in West Bengal: A comparative study between first-generation and second-generation Descendants

The partition of the Indian Sub-continent into India and Pakistan left millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in huge troubles, which caused the mass exodus incomparable in world history. The birth of two dominions on the ground of religion leads new socio-political equations on both sides of border. It is unique about the Bengal partition unlike the massive exchange of populations in1947-50 on the western border of India, the influx of refugees across the Bengal border remained a continual process for decades to follow. There fugees from East Pakistan now Bangladesh mainly took shelter in West Bengal. The refugees first struggle for food and shelter. After along wait, they able to manage it. Then comes the education of these refugee-children. Admission to school often becomes major problem for these children. Sometime, they start going to school but due to poverty or others, they are to leave schools. Only with education, the refugee and the descendants of refugees can come to the mainstream of countrylife. Education provides opportunities for student, their families and communities to begin the trauma healing process, and to learn the skill and values needed for a peaceful future and better governance. There are studies which explore the rehabilitation and the process of influx and the development works by the various agencies or researchers. But specifically, education of the refugees in West Bengal from East Pakistan has not been emphasized in those researches. This study will explore in details of the education received by the descendants of refugees with acomparative study of first-generation descendants and second-generation descendants.