Despite India's recent economic success, education is slowly improving in rural areas. The fact is that even though areas like Uttarakhand are growing economically, only 10% of profits are kept in the state. The rest goes to outside provinces leaving very little money for the state to build much needed infrastructure. This 10% is garnered almost entirely from the workers' wages, who by the way, do not make that much.
When you look at the schools in places like Uttarakhand, you begin to realize how much infrastructure is needed to support a viable school system. The schools in this area go without playgrounds, bathrooms for girls (sometimes none at all besides the great outdoors), cafeterias and certainly nothing as frivolous as an auditorium or gymnasium. Frequently there isn't even an enclosed building for the school. Instead students learn in open air classrooms that maybe have walls. If there is a building, there are usually not separate classrooms for different age groups.
The basics of foods, supplies, restrooms or even warm clothes are often not available to children, making education a difficult task. It is hard to focus when you are hungry, need to pee, feel cold and stuck in over-crowded classroom. For girls, the lack of restrooms at schools is often reason enough from them to drop out due to lack of privacy. Even those who bare the embarrassment often drop out once their period begins. Beyond the basics not being met for female students, they face the challenge of cultural biases against females that are still pervasive in the Indian culture that makes female infanticide, childhood marriage and childhood prostitution still common, if not legal.
For both genders, poverty becomes a double edged sword where they could escape poverty with education, but what are they to do in the mean time? Sometimes parents wonder if it wouldn't be better for their child to work than spend their time in school? Many children never do attend primary school with only an average of around 70% of children actually going to primary school. As the grades go higher, fewer and fewer children attend.
Parents often do not have enough money to spend on new clothes or school supplies. Families spend no money on new clothes for children, but rely on worn down hand me downs that don't keep children warm. Such small things are something that our first world nation can easily supply to change lives.
Even the smallest donations can make the hugest difference to children in these rural communities. A warm sweater can keep a child warm for years. Ten dollars can buy lots of school supplies. Please consider dropping by the yogathon to make a donation of clothes or money this Saturday. If you cannot make it and still would like to help, visit Mango Tiger's website here to make a donation.
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Nice Article, So when you visit Primary School in India
ReplyDeletelook to see if teachers smile and are generally encouraging of children. Look to see how the teachers interact with the other children in the classroom and if there seem to be strong connections between them. Also talk to parents at the school about their experience.
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