Education calling…

India is a country where there have been uncountable families that have been burdened by the cycles of poverty for decades. Given the circumstances, education becomes as essential as food and daily needs since it is a key requirement to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty that has several families under its grip — ever thought of those twinkling eyes of a 4-year-old child whose family struggles to make ends meet each day?

For thousands of underprivileged children, that basic requirement is still just a distant dream. According to studies, around 50% of children in India lack quality education. Various factors are the causes of the unfulfillment of education among these children, which include lack of resources, inadequate affordable infrastructure, and socio-economic conditions. These hurdles have dramatically affected the literacy rates, too. Various social norms also contribute to the root of this problem. There are still places where there are gender biases, and traditionally, the female child’s education is not given as much importance as the male child’s. Poverty adds up more to this as parents tend to force their kids into child labour to earn for basic needs rather than understanding the importance of education in their child’s life and for their future. Even though the right to education stays equal for all, underprivileged children tend to drop out of school because of the inability to afford the hidden costs each year, which usually include the uniform, stationery, books, and school fees. The poor infrastructure of schools in rural areas continues to deteriorate despite various efforts to provide the children with adequate facilities, proper sanitation, clean water, etc. Investing in the education of underprivileged children is hence extremely important and achievable, if they get the right level of awareness it needs. Engaging families and spreading awareness among them about the benefits of education can be helpful so that parents can encourage their children to join schools at an early age. The involvement of more people to come forward and volunteer as trained teachers can change the lives of so many children who have been deprived of even the most basic education they need at a young age to support healthy brain development. There can be various attractive programs for kids for their overall personality and skill development that give them vast opportunities to grow, become financially independent, and ultimately break the vicious cycle of poverty.

It is one of the most necessary investments that needs to be addressed, which unleashes the true potential of every young mind who has been deprived of the opportunities it needs.