School: Just a Dream for Some Indian Kids

Today's Hindu newspaper posted some wishes of some kids who for one reason or another, do not have the privilege of going to school. According to the article, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu alone, for over 193,418 children, attending school is just a dream. Reasons often include inaccessibility, lack of facilities, poverty, or general lack of awareness. Village and rural children are particularly affected.

 

In the words of one child "My mother is the sole bread winner for my family of five. Doing odd-jobs, she managed to put me in school. But my school is more than three kilometers away from home, and there is no public transport. Everyday I had to walk six kilometers. In bad weather it was impossible. So I dropped out of school. For two years I did not go to school. Then Rural Workers Development Society, a community-based organization, coaxed me to return to school. I go to school now but transportation is still a problem."

Another: "We belong to the Irula community. The access to our school is difficult so teachers do not come to our school. The closest school is two kilometers away but it is a Telugu medium school. Our village is located near the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka borders and we speak Tamil and Kannada. Our parents see no point in us pursuing education in a language that we do not understand and hence ask us to stay back and help them rear cattle. When I grow up, I want to build schools and hospitals for my community."

Tweet

Pin It