Anthony persuaded the community to accept his leadership.
These selected persons moved only if Anthony moved.
Although the A.I.A.I.A. reacted quickly to threat and
danger, the major power base in this cultural association
emanated from Anthony. The flaw lay in putting a lot of
faith in one individual and very little in the committees.
(67)
The argument is that, although the A.I.A.I.A. has been
successful, it now suffers from low morale. There has been
a high turnover in the middle layers of the association as
individuals who clashed with Anthony resign their posts.
The problem for Anglo-Indian schools lies in the fact that
each person who drops out of the main association creates
a smaller group. This fragmentation has created
uncertainty in the community. Power cultures such as the
A.I.A.I.A can stagnate or be annexed, because a web without
a spider has no strength.
Anglo-Indian schools which owe their allegiance to the
All-India Anglo-Indian Association are organised
differently to Anglo-Indian schools which are administered
by different Anglo-Indian Associations. Collaboration does
not exist between these schools. The only link is that they
are all English medium schools, with a Christian ethos and
owned, managed or administered by Anglo-Indians. (68)
The fragmentation and non-collaborative policies for the
Anglo-Indian schools has enhanced the disadvantage levels
for Anglo-Indians. Anglo-Indians who live in poverty are
aware of the problems in the community. Unfortunately,
they are powerless to change anything. Their children
continue to fail their language examinations sinking deeper
into a pit of poverty and unemployment.
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