This paper says something about how can education make effective response to poverty and deprivation that has become the identity of South Asia and how such a capacity is built using education as a tool for that purpose.

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BUILDING EDUCATIONAL RESPONSE TO COMBAT
Poverty and Deprivation in South Asia
Keshav Prasad Bhattarai
1 Poverty menaces and Deprivation
More than 200 years ago noted English man of letters Samuel Johnson (1709-84) said that` poverty is a
great enemy to human happiness, it certainly destroys liberty and it makes some virtues impracticable
and others extremely difficult’.
Yes poverty was there in past and it is among us at present. The genesis of poverty and sense of
ownership over natural resources are coetaneous. Obviously poverty is a human creation with most
inhuman and ugly effect.
Generally speaking inability to afford an adequate standard of consumption is poverty, but noted
Economist Amartya Sen analyses poverty in terms of both income and capability deprivation. According
to Sen rise in income may not necessarily generate capability, similarly income can not be converted into
capability but capability it self has profound income generating impact .Therefore agreeing with Sen by
poverty we also mean state of living under severe level of deprivation regarding fundamental freedom of
actions and choice(1). Poverty therefore is a capability deprivation with relations to the absence of
ownership and entitlements regarding productive skills and abilities, inheritance and transfer
entitlements. Such absence comprises entitlement to trade something that some body owns, own
something produced by his or her ability and resource management skills, ownerships of labor power
related to trade, service and production and exercise it on own. Besides such absence, obviously includes
power to own given or transferred entitlements willingly or legitimately (2). An Iranian politician turned
academician Majid Rahnema defined poverty in simple term as a situation lacking `deficiencies or
deprivation of material, non material and existential kind.(3)
In 1987 Father Wresinski defining poverty suggested that social vulnerability is the absence of one or
more assured capacities which permit individuals and their families to carry out their basic
responsibilities and enjoy their fundamental rights. The insecurity which results from such a condition
leads frequently to extreme poverty and tends to prolong itself over time, becoming persistent and
gravely compromising the ability to recover the exercise of these rights and responsibilities within the
foreseeable future.(4) Going to wider repercussions of poverty he stresses,|`behind any poor community
is another which is poorer. Behind poverty stricken street is another even worse and behind a poor
family we can almost always find another poorer’ (5) Therefore we can understand that poverty and
deprivation is a situation when someone is denied minimum requirements for survival, wellbeing, status
and freedom creating more, again more poverty and deprivation
Thus we can comprehend poverty as inability to meet one’s basic needs or non availability of minimum
necessities as required by economic, cultural and biological survival. It is lack of power and self
confidence to change one’s life and inability to command love and respect from others. Also it is a
situation when any individuals quite unable to carry his /her responsibility towards family and society.
The alarming thing about poverty is that- both the cause and effect of poverty is deprivation and
destitution translated to hunger, malnutrition, home less-ness and ill health. Therefore poverty is a
multi-faceted human predicament covering the whole range of inequality, oppression and domination
relative to the prevailing character of socio- political and economic regimes. It is a source of cultural
degrades and patterns of all kind of conflict situations. The irony of poverty is that when people in
power feel socially, politically or economically unsecured, more oppression, exploitation and corruption

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takes place; breeding more poverty and victimizing more to poor. So poverty brings sense of insecurity
to the people who rule and people who are being ruled. Thus it creates a vicious cycle of poverty with
wider repercussions.
This way poverty hits hard to the state as a whole, narrowing people’s ability to enlarge or protect their
interests and stakes both in individual or social terms. In this way poverty has become sum total impact
of socio- political, economic, religious and cultural settings of South Asian societies.
Poverty has become the scourge of human society for centuries. It has assaulted human dignity in a
most cruel way and with severest form of exclusion resulting war, conflicts, social tension and violence.
The severities of its sufferings have climbed up with each of our technological advancement. Also the
globalize nature of modern economics has brought wider possibilities of prosperity with equal effect to
globalize nature of human avarice.
2. Causes of poverty
According to a World Bank study poverty is caused by lack of income to meet basic requirements of
people, a sense of voiceless-ness and powerless-ness in the institutions of state and society and
vulnerability to adverse shocks and effects with inabilities to cope with them; causes poverty. Building
people’s assets is the only answer to poverty and these assets includes human, natural, physical, financial
and social. All assets, either this way or that way depend on education of people.
There fore, poverty is the result of economic, political and social processes that interact with each
other and frequently reinforce each other in ways that exacerbate the deprivation in which poor people
live.(6)
In almost all situations, evidently, poverty is caused by defective state policies, programs and practices
incorporated by inefficient social structures and community cultures. They are continuously re-enforced
by low graded socio-political leadership plus faulty personal and social practices.
Poverty is not only the lack of income and ability but also the lack of supporting structures, cultures and
practices to help people break the poverty cycle. Thus low income to meet basic requirements, low level
of health and nutrition, sense of voiceless ness, powerlessness and vulnerabilities to adversities and in
abilities to cope with them cause poverty. In short prevailing social injustices making people suffer
worst at the hands of vulnerabilities to adversities is the main reason of poverty.
3. Poverty vs. development
Development is a heavy loaded word compared to much restricted word growth; meaning to the process
of economic growth in per- capita income and availability of certain level of human capability necessary
to promote and protect his/her economic and social stakes and interests. Development on the other
hand covers the whole range of growth situations really transmittable to gross national product relative
to industrialization, trade increase, broad social inclusion and empowerment of common people through
democratic transformation of society with guaranteed civil and political freedoms.
Indubitably, development is creation. Likely non development is destruction. Through deprivation rooted
in contradictions, attitudes and behaviors of all individuals and social actors, we give space to non
development.
It is easy to learn that when basic needs of people are met, development is accelerated.
Similarly, non -development results into deprivation practices creating poverty, violence, exploitation,
repression. Therefore poverty and deprivation is based upon socio-economic, political and legal structure
and culture with negative practices. Developments depend upon education through their income
generating activities, health care, increased life expectancies and birth control.
According to a World Bank Report (WDR 20002001) investment in improving poor peoples access to
education and health have double impact in improving growth and reducing poverty directly.
Thus reducing poverty is educating people to build their –
• Access to market decisions and policies serving their interests
• Ability to participate in decisions and fighting negations

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• Organize institutions to work for them and build their capacity to work for them
Therefore, development in short is social transformation with human face. It is transformation of
human environment to satisfy basic needs of the people and from there to realize maximum individual
and social potential. So when we say development it is absence of poverty, human sufferings, illiteracy,
un-freedom, domination, exploitation, and violation of human rights or in short it is absence of human
adversaries or absence of neglected survival of man. Development is a complete journey; journey with all
necessities and accessories and a destination of complete living; complete in the sense that when we
make journey to development it is made in perfect match not overburdened with one thing and empty
handed with another thing .
Therefore development is understood in its approach and effect It it’s a process of rational action on
the part of individual, social, national or global to satisfy basic human needs. It is not a single entity but
a set of separate entities with common contribution to maximize human happiness. When we speak
development we mean both production and distribution. The development approach cannot be satisfied
with raise in income but in quality of income raise and quality of consumption and distribution.
In these respects we would like to list the component of policy and goal directives of development
strategy as follows:
a. Policy Directive Strategies-
• Enhancement of state capacity to facilitate development through effective provision of legal and
institutional reform packages,
• Promoting effective provision of public services regarding quality of development hard wares
(infrastructures) including transport, energy, tele communications and,
b. Goal Directive Strategies
• Inclusiveness of whole section of society within the parameters of national development efforts.
• Meaningful participation of entire population in the process of development.
• Equitable distribution of income and wealth among whole section of society.
• Higher level of human development with full realization of human potential
c. Acculturation strategy:
modification or transformation of culture with change in attitudes, belief system of people.
4. Development by participation and Empowerment
The level of poverty and Deprivation in south Asia as recorded by several international agencies have
shown that the efforts made in all these years is no more than myth. We are failures because
Among the total world population of people living in less than 1$ a Day 44% live in South Asia. It has
proved that the efforts made in all these years are no more than a failure when compared with other
countries. The main reason of this failure is our faulted developmental approach; the approach of state
imposition but not participatory.
Participation is most effective development strategy. It is a strategy of organizing people’s inspiration
to achieve their aspiration and encouragement to build their involvement in programs targeted to
support their stakes. When participation is worked out, people’s needs and supports are assessed, they
are encouraged to raise their say in decisions and tackled in democratic order.
Participation does not only bear political linkages it is opted because participation enhances investments
and better policy initiatives to raise funds, develop own resources and mobilize them for better results.
We also import participation for building institutions to consolidate social capital and accelerate change,
building legitimacy for development institutions of development and accountability to development. It is
so, because Participation in decisions empowers the stakeholders, ensures their inclusion through the
help they needed. It promotes state efficiency to proceed with re organization of political and legal
infrastructures and disciplines them for meaningful developmental culture of nation and society.
In short participation is empowerment of people and enlargement of better opportunities for them.
Empowerment through participation also ensures freedom and justice resulting into institutions of broad

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social inclusion and protections against vulnerabilities arising from all sorts of socio economic and
environmental hazards. Similarly participation broadens opportunities for people and encourages limited
personal and social entrepreneurship to join the larger forces of market with boundless possibilities.
Therefore it is basically the participation that capitalizes peoples’ potential, enhances their confidence
to make collaboration between their primitive infrastructures and national and global infrastructures of
larger stream,
5. Education ,Poverty Reduction and Development
According to Schumacher` development does not start with goods; it starts with people with their
education, organization and disciplines….Every country no matter how devastated, which had a high level
of education, organization and discipline, produced an economic miracle(7) The East Asian miracle no
doubt is the result of education and education promoted organization and discipline. This very fact made
World Bank conclude that 85% of the wealth Japan consist of is human and social capital.(8) obviously,
only people are the primary and ultimate source of any wealth whatsoever. (9) Therefore poverty is both
the cause and effect of un-education
Education, no doubt is the most effective means of self defense available for human beings. Without
basic education individuals are not entitled to defend themselves in different aspects of socio economic
life viz. defend oneself in court, obtain bank loan, enforce inheritance rights, take advantage of new
technology, compete for securing employment (10) Education in short gives incentives to people to
participate success fully in the modern economy and society and bring change in society without
education and knowledge they can not look after their nutrition, health, manage family and organize into
cooperatives and trade unions (11).
South Asia has oppression, marginalization and poverty. We have this for our neglects of educational
roles to promote justice, equality, freedoms and empowerment. So according to Dreze and Sen this
neglect is not confined to government circles but much of it on the part of political parties, trade
unions, revolutionary organizations and other social movements (12) The sheer example of this neglect is
illustrated by Andhra prudish chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that` the cost of maintaining one
pubic sector employee for a year is roughly the same as what it costs to run a primary school (13).
The millennium Development Goals declared by UN General Assembly in 2000 have targeted to halve the
level of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. But for a region housing the half of the Asian poor with
high population growth, in sufficient GDP growth, low level of human development and dismal picture of
social security for the poor has put formidable pressure against the attainment of U.N. Millennium
Goals. The inequality of income in the region is so pervasive that the poorest 10% of the population have
a share of income of only 3.6% when compared with the richest 10% on 29.6% of national income. This
leaves no way except on effective educational intervention contributing efficiency and productivity
increase by means of technological advancement including ICT sector.
According to a renowned South Asian scholar and the great Human Development expert; South Asia is
the poorest, most illiterate, the most malnourished and the most gender insensitive region in the World
(14). Millions of people in South Asia are denied opportunities at every step. To continue with the same
scholar the countries of South and East Asia had started at roughly the same per capita income level in
1960 and by the end of the century the per capita income of East Asia was about 27th time higher (15)
and obviously it was for the central role of education.
In short people lacking support are poor and become poor. Without the support of education those born
poor are most likely to die poor. Therefore only education is best support for them. Development
experiences of well developed countries have proved that education ad technical skills of their
population has not only given them higher level of income with lowest level of human deprivation and a
grandeur of peace and prosperity but overwhelmingly major part of their national wealth consist human
and social capital deriving from education .

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Education is antidote of illiteracy. So when illiteracy is counted for not only depriving people culturally;
but also excluding people from national life. It is also personal tragedy and a powerful force in
preserving inequalities and oppression making the poor suffer the worst in educating a child. It is the
most acute state of deprivation because to be illiterate is to be helpless in a modern state run by way of
complex laws and regulations. (16).
About 400 million illiterate adults, 90 million children not going school and 135 million child labors are
our South Asian identity. About 515 million people below poverty line lacking self confidence, personal
honour, living with humiliations, insults; robbing of their human essence is not giving this a humane face.
Education, therefore in the presence of illiteracy does not need to prove its significance. It gives hope
and meaning to life and when combined makes quality of life. When quality of life is concerned, according
to Edmund O’Sullivan it is our way of growing into life with energy, vitality and joy (17).
Similarly, according to Derek Parfit, “What makes a life go best (18) is quality. The life goes best when
someone can fulfill the happiness, satisfaction and ideals (19) of life with autonomy of his/her actions
and decisions. No need to say that this fulfillment with autonomy of actions and decisions is attained by
education.
Now we would observe some of the hard realities of world in the context of South Asia. No need to go
every sector of human deprivation, South Asia is counted in each and every aspect of this deprivation.
Here educational intervention is needed more effectively and it has been proved education can do
better than any other measures – take some examples though overall percentage of illiterate people in
world has decreased, the number of illiterate has actually increased. In1960 there were 701 million
illiterate but by the end of last century it was more than 854 more than 150 million increase. If we take
our case we South Asians own half of the world’s illiterates. Similarly 40% of the world’s 1.2 billion poor
and 75% of out of school children (85 million out of 113 million) are from South Asia. By the end of
2000, the newest death trap and a vicious force of exclusion HIV-AIDS had taken lives of 22 million
people and more than 40 million were living with AIDS; with more than 10% infected people are from
South Asia.
Poverty deprivation and other human sufferings of South Asians do not end here, it may take pages but
we would like to go to educational contribution to end poverty and facilitate development.
According to the senior Vice President of World Bank Nicholas Stern `better educated person is more
flexible; she absorbs new information faster and applies unfamiliar inputs and new processes more
effectively. In the uncertain and dynamic environment of rapid technical change, more highly educated
workers have big advantage. More education and skill allow people to adopt and profit from the new work
opportunities and new technology. (20) Similarly he also focuses that the full returns to physical
investments, whether private or public, will not be realized without concomitant investments in
education. More educated are poised to benefit from opportunities afforded them through extra capital
and less educated are not (21)
6. Educational Response to combat Poverty
Poverty reducing and growth accelerating role of education is well established by many studies and
researches made by distinguished scholars, national and international agencies. And this is quite simple
because human capital, the creation of education is most significant input for economic growth. We have
some best experiences in building educational response to combat poverty and deprivation. Many nations
have eliminated poverty and achieved huge development in a short time by using their human potential to
the maximum extent. We need not cite examples of Norway or Japan. South Korea, Taiwan and
Singapore are no less examples in this regard. In 1960 South Korea had a per capita income of 230$ in
2001 it was 9400$. Korea made it possible with successful basic education and highest percentage of
students’ enrollment in education especially in science and technology. Similarly in 1960 Korea had 5%
enrollment ratio in tertiary education and in 2000 it was 80% and public expenditure per student in 1900
in Korea was 2700 $ and in 2000 it was 4500$. When Taiwan was gaining a status of East Asian Tiger

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more than 80% of the cabinet berths were occupied by PhD. holders with dreams to give Taiwan a
respectful place in world community through education. Within a period of 1965-1976 Singapore
achieved more than 15% growth rate in average. Dr. Man Mohan Singh in India and Dr. Mahbub Ul Haq in
Pakistan single handedly oriented their nations to the basics of development- acceleration of economy
with skilled manpower. Similarly China is another illustrious example gaining such a huge progress with
such a huge population with huge quality investments in education.
So the starting point is not unclear. Make a fresh start with re-structuring education and school system
that could foster technical support, practical knowledge and democratic freedom consciousness among
the students and build proper social patterns to prepare them for future.
Education is a community activity and all community actions are to be reflected into schools. And schools
must support community activity and learn from each other .To build coherent educational response to
community needs; schools are to be restructured in such a way that any person of any age groups could
get support from school when s/he needs it. If we have schools for public debates, students guardians
involved in preparing both formal and informal curriculums from the very beginning and community
people participate in community activities, sharing their experiences with students under a short term
learning contracts, a educational environment will be created. Part time schooling and part time working
in community job will broaden the horizon of students’ perception.
7. Markets, Poverty Reduction and Education
Markets have always been a very strong socio-political and economic force of human society. These days
market forces are overwhelmingly powerful perhaps than all other institution of human society, because
it is directly involved to supply people with their basic needs and meet their basic needs.
Markets have existed throughout human history and it has characterized the nature and culture of
government and civil society. So the market does not only bear financial but social and political cost also.
Maximizing profit from market without social accountability may easily turn a state system with
totalitarian effect and social stratification.
Markets facilitate growth and development but defining market to support poor is the greatest
challenge before us. Market works for all if all are able to protect their interests. And this protection
comes through education with direct implications. A very effective factor to increase productivity and
build better climate for investment is basically the promotion of rural entrepreneurship, a key for
reducing poverty and accelerate development in South Asia. This reality is realized if schools are
organized to prepare skilled back force to accelerate growth and development.
Market is most effective mean for growth and development but it looses its relevance in the long term
if does not work for poor. Similarly to be able to bag the benefits of market poor have to participate in
market and make market support and work for them. Unless market is accessible to millions of poor,
unless it helps poor get rich, market will just turn to be a recreation center for a few rich but not a
symbol of prosperous economy. Market grows well and is Vigo rated when millions of people have money
to buy things in market and entrepreneurship to introduce into market. Market forces must acknowledge
the fact that market grows well when there are more consumers with more money in their pockets. The
money or wealth no doubt is the creation of quality life situations promoted by good education and good
health.
But equally poor have to build competency to secure their stakes in market and the states have to come
here to protest the interests of poor and empower poor politically and instrumentally. It is to be done
with active participation with market forces and design public action to the priorities of poor. The best
a state can start this is through education and training to poor. This is to be done through better
organization of schools and building a better delivery system of education. Facilitate good institutions,
norms and behavior for development to organize better provision of public service to poor is realized
when people are empowered by education. So when organization and delivery of education comes

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adequate resource mobilization and efficiency of such mobilization has become a major issue. The
volume of resources does not matter if it is organized through low quality polices and practices.
Education prepares people for democracy and development. Equally it prepares people for markets and
market promoted growth. Education also protects people against the side effects market led inequality
and poverty.
Therefore to make more democratic and adaptive to poor people’s needs, education has distinct role and
transform market efficiency, market functioning and market growth compatible with democratic
regulation (22) supportive to poor and protect them through educational empowerment.
So the aims and objectives before us as stated is to
• Promote socio-economic and political policies inclusive of poor and peoples of deprived community
• Build equality and justice through broad social solidarity and public accountability to all sections
of society
• Promote `public spaces’ for education health and different form of social protection
• Organize public action and build structures to govern and regulate individual and group activities
incompatible to social well being
• Address public disenchantment and frustration through a socio-political frame work on a regular
basis
• Build market accountability and spontaneous individual entrepreneurship to the broad framework
of social justice and foster formation of human and social capital better equipped to build
smooth access in global market
• Improve level of human productivity by providing better education, training centers, promoting
scientific and technological research
• Prepare state and society pay compensation for environmental damage, unemployment, health
hazards etc.
• Empower people to influence decisions related to their life
• Reorient state allocation to the poor and deprived community and build sound rural
infrastructure so that income poverty and capability poverty of poor people is addressed
• Build effective conflict management framework at all levels so that clashing interest among
different economic stakes is regularly addressed and monitored
• Make markets reach whole sections of society and address the real aspirations of total
population. If market can only serve the purpose of a few it will turn to be an evil structure
bringing more sufferings to poor.
To achieve the mentioned and build proper educational response to combat poverty and deprivation and
foster development the following policies are suggested;
• Ensure adequate investment in education with quality policies, plans, programs and practices so
that national education system can prepare capable and skilled work force as demanded by socio-
economic needs
• Design appropriate program to end:
-Gender bias in education
-Educational exclusion of poor community and marginalized section of society
• Create proper balance between community involvement in school management and state
accountability in building educational establishments.
• Build educational response to support people for their life long need of education and support
• Build well defined administrative accountability to the access and quality aspect of education
• Ensure merit education training decisive in allocating any opportunities to the teachers and
educators
• Educate and train people of all age group to cope with individual and social vulnerabilities
• Empower education to drive economic development

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• Update the transformative learning with advanced modalities of delivery and organization of
education compatible to the revolution in information and communication sector.
• Reorient educational programs to meet the incoming market needs of societies
• Restructure education in recognition to build maximum level of human and social capital building
dimension.
Strategies and educational intervention combat poverty and deprivation Build educational capacity
to
• change attitudes, beliefs, cultures individual and community approach to combat poverty
• map poverty, on development and deprivation level of community on attitudes, behaviors and
prevailing contradictions
• Build focus on structures, practices and actors responsible to poverty and deprivation.
• Organize combat poverty and deprivation forums and councils at all levels.
• Organize interaction, dialogue sessions among interests groups to aggregate common and
conflicting interests.
• Identify acceptable goals, strategies and community action plans.
• Develop self sustaining process of feedback operation.
• adjustment and readjustment of goals strategies and action plans
• make local people responsible and accountable to local level decisions through participatory
process
Programs to combat poverty and deprivation through education:
• Build people’s assets and plan effective use of these assets (the assets include-human, natural,
physical, financial and social assets)
1. Building assets and effective use of these assets means enhancing opportunities for
people by building basic infrastructures to help people
2. Promote and protest quality of such infrastructures, defining these infrastructures
to support poor people, raise investment in pro-poor sector and inequality sector
• Empower poor people through:
3. Enhancing their capacity in influencing decisions, ensuring their participation in
decisions and decision making process,
4. Educating and training them, removing their disadvantages and barriers, building
institutional accountability to them
• Make poor people raise their voice in:
1. creating responsible government with accountability to them, rule of law,
2. remodeling political, legal and social structures,
• Organize public forums to
1 facilitate social dialogue; action forums
2 raise poor people’s voice and ensure their interests
Conclusion
The message or lesson learned by various studies is that social and economic program is achieved if we
are able to build educational system able enough to acquire, advance and apply knowledge at its proper
dimensions. Undoubtedly it is education that creates wealth both economic and social and corrects the
vulnerabilities of poor people. Creation, dissemination and application of knowledge and abilities acquired
during education and training has direct impact upon poverty reduction.
Peoples and nations are poor not because they lack natural resources or basic physical infrastructures,
they are poor because they lack human capital and they will go on further marginalization if they lack
political will and determination to support education build its capacity in addressing the real problems of
people.

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Not nations it is people who compete in modern economy and peoples preparation to compete for their
share is through a better process of creation and application of knowledge.
Innovations and competency building of populations do not start with individual or group charity it starts
with state policies and programs best addressed to support the basic needs of people satisfied with
educational capacity, generating and mobilizing resources, building higher level of efficiency and
accountability in state system of delivery of education.
Education for all the countries in North and South, in East and West is to become the first priority with
allocation of at least 7% of GNP. No one should be leaved out of educational protection-children, adults
and elders focus on the education of women, indigenous and poor. They should be provided life skills to
maintain their life with technical and vocational aspect of their policy must realize that without updating
people with education and training profession and future profession. Information of their profession and
occupation productivity can not be enhanced and communication technology has become a Source of
knowledge as power.
Education is to be provided to children to make them prepared for active citizenship, forces of
democracy and freedom and a promoter of environmental protection.
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References
(1). Quoted in World Development Report 200/2001, World Bank, p.1
(2) Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, Oxford, 1999, p-87-110.
(3) Majid Rahnema in Wolfgang Sachs edited, The Development Dictionary,Orient Longman,
1997,p.213
(4) Genugten and Bustillo edited The Poverty of Rights, Zed Books p. 59.
(5)(ibid.60)
(6)WDR,2000/2001,WorldBank
(7) E. F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful, Vintage, 1993, p. 138-139,
(8) M. Haq, Reflections on Human Development, Oxford: 2000, p.218,
(9)Schumacher,ibid,p.140,
(10) Dreze and Sen; India Development and Participation: oxford, 2002 p.143.
(11)op.cit.
(12)ibid.144-145,
(13) N. Chandrababu Naidu, Plain Speaking Viking, 2000, p.47.
14) Dr Mahub Ul Haq, Reflections on Human Development Oxford 2000, p.216.
(15)ibidp.217
(16) Paul Harrison, Inside the Third World-the Anatomy of Poverty 1993, p. 304-305
(17) Edmund O’ Sullivan, Transformative Learning: Educational Vision for the 21st century,
ZedBooks,1999p.237.
(18) Quoted by Dan Brock in Martha Naussabaum and Amartya Sen edited, The Quality of life, Oxford,
1999, p.96.
(19) Ibid.p.99,
(20)Nicholas Stern, A Strategy for Development, World Bank, p.94.
(21)op.cit.
(22)Eduardo S. Bustelo in Genugten and Busillo edited The Poverty of Rights: Human Rights and
Note: This paper was presented by the writer in his capacity as the General Secretary
of SAARC Teachers’ Federation, a body of teachers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal,

10. 10
Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with participants from the all five countries in a program
organized in Nepal in April 2002.