Secondary Education in India Needs Equal Support as Primary

Posted On: 2022-09-20 17:42:40

We always see ads on the internet, in newspapers, and templates asking to support rural children's education. Every village doesn't have a school and college; often the children have to travel long distances in order to acquire secondary education or to attend college. Well, the government and various non-profit organizations are working to improve the educational scenario in rural India. Now, many must be in the delusion that, unlike in rural India, education is easily accessible for every child in the urban parts of India. 

 

This is true, but only to some extent. Though educational facilities are widely available in cities, they are not easily accessible to many. There are certain factors that affect the reach of educational facilities in urban India. A few of the major ones are:

 

1. Unemployment

Unemployment is a major reason why children in urban sections of India are not able to acquire proper education. As per a Centre of Monitory Indian Economy report, the urban unemployment rate in India is 8% which is higher than the rural unemployment rate. Due to unemployment, parents cannot afford to provide their children with secondary or higher education. 

2. Poverty

Where there is unemployment, there will be poverty. Poverty word answers our question 'How is it affecting children's education?' More than 25% of Indians live in urban poverty; 81 million are below the poverty line. This results in child labour, which is illegal in India. Most children have no choice but to start earning at a young age to support their homes.

 

3. School Dropouts

A Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2020-21 report stated that the rate of secondary school dropout in urban India is 14.6 per cent. The main reasons for it are poverty, lack of funds, parents' negligence, prolonged illness, and child labour Among all, these are the major reasons why children in urban India are not able to acquire secondary education in India.

 

Poverty and unemployment have proved to be the most consistent cause of many challenges in the urban life of India, and education has been no exception to this. 

 

One such case is of Tapati Shukla who hails from Mumbai, the economic capital of India. She is struggling to support her grandchildren's education; the reason being- a lack of funds. Her husband, Mr. Bholanath Shukla recently passed away due to severe illness. Her family faced a lot of challenges during the treatment of Mr. Bholanath Shukla as they did not have enough money to pay for the expensive medications. 

 

Her grandchildren, Shubham Shukla and Siddhi Shukla study in Seth Bhajanlal Bohra English School, Mumbai. Shubham is in grade 10 and Siddhi is in grade 8. The school fees is Rs. 11,900/- individually, for the current academic year. This makes a total of Rs. 23,800/- (Rupees Twenty Three Thousand Eight Only).

 

 

The children's father Mr. Indranil Shukla is the sole breadwinner in the family of five. He drives an auto-rickshaw and manages to bring home a minimum income that barely supports the family's monthly expenses. Tapati Shukla, the children's grandmother is going through a tough time as she just lost her husband. But fate has to test her every single day with new challenges. Despite this miserable situation, she is firm that she wants her grandchildren to study, pursue their dreams and be successful so they will never have to face any financial crisis in life ever!

 

Tapati Shukla has initiated a fundraising campaign on Filaantro. The campaign aims to raise funds for Siddhi and Shubham's school fees. Filaantro firmly believes that every child must get easy access to quality education no matter the circumstances. We want you to join us in raising fees for Siddhi and Shubham so they can continue studying and move a step closer to their bright and secure future. 

Please consider donating, no amount is too small to not help. You can also share the link of the fundraiser: https://filaantro.org/fundraiser/view/tapati-shukla on your social media platforms and in your close circle so that it reaches more people and they perhaps too join us in making this campaign a success! 

 

Visit filaantro.org to know more.

 

Author: Anjali Patel