Sharique Mashhadi
Jharkhand’s late Education Minister reminds us that learning is about dignity, equity, and shared responsibility.
Ramdas Soren’s tenure as Jharkhand’s School Education & Literacy Minister was brief, but it carried a depth of vision not often seen in public life. In a state as diverse and layered as Jharkhand, where education is entangled with questions of culture, access, and systemic inertia, Soren brought a refreshing clarity. He believed education had to be more than policy — it had to affirm dignity, deepen equity, and hold systems accountable.
Born in Ghorabanda (East Singhbhum) in 1963, Soren’s life was shaped by grassroots experiences. When he assumed office in December 2024, he was widely respected for his simplicity, his advocacy for tribal education, and his quiet conviction that schools must serve children first, not systems. His passing on August 15, 2025 cut short what might have been a transformative journey, yet in those few months, he left behind insights that continue to resonate.
One of his most significant contributions was the push to include tribal languages, particularly Santali, in the curriculum. For Soren, this was not just a matter of pedagogy but of recognition. He understood that when children are taught in their mother tongue, learning feels alive, connected, and meaningful. Too often, education alienates children from their cultural roots; Soren sought to reverse that, making the classroom a space where identity was affirmed rather than erased. In linking language to dignity, he reframed education as a process of belonging, not just instruction.
Equally striking was his insistence that education was not the government’s responsibility alone but a collective social endeavor. He often drew inspiration from Kerala, pointing to the way communities there treated education as a shared commitment. In Jharkhand, he pushed for stronger roles for school management committees and greater involvement of local communities. For Soren, equity was not an abstract principle but a lived necessity—no child’s future, he believed, should be decided by income, geography, or social status.
He also tried to humanize the machinery of education. By instructing district education officers and superintendents to visit schools regularly and even take classes once a month, he created a bridge between bureaucracy and the classroom. It was a simple but radical move, signaling that accountability was not about paperwork but about presence—about showing up for children and teachers in real time.
Soren did not hesitate to confront systemic bottlenecks either. He took firm action against exploitative practices in private schools, reinforcing his commitment to keeping education affordable and fair. At the same time, he was unafraid to question aspects of the National Education Policy, particularly its timelines for phasing out intermediate colleges. His critique was not resistance to reform but a call for sensitivity — to ensure that change did not destabilize students or teachers. This balance of courage and pragmatism set him apart.
His reform agenda also sought to expand opportunities while ensuring quality. He proposed more Chief Minister’s Schools of Excellence and Netarhat-style institutions, working to make high-quality education accessible beyond the privileged few. His focus on enrollment drives, improved mid-day meals, and large-scale teacher recruitment reflected his understanding that access and quality were inseparable pillars of educational progress.
What stands out, finally, is the way Soren refused to let education become a bureaucratic checklist. For him, it was always about transformation — making learning inclusive, accountable, and alive in people’s everyday lives. His legacy lies not only in policies but in the values he embodied: that education must affirm identity, build equity, and remain a collective responsibility.
In remembering Ramdas Soren, one is reminded that true change in education does not begin with grand announcements. It begins with listening — to the child, to the community, and to the society that education ultimately seeks to serve.
(Views expressed in this tribute are personal and author is presently working in Bangalore based organization, Dream a Dream and supporting Harsh Johar’s social emotional learning focused intervention in more than 500 schools in Jharkhand)
