Noopur Latkar, working with a multinational MNC as a developer and also an active volunteer of S for Schools shares her motivation with us
How many times have we complained about not having electricity at home on a lazy Sunday afternoon just so that we could watch some TV? How many fights have we picked up with our parents just because they didn’t allow us to go to some party or random sleepover? Haven’t we all cribbed about having veggies for dinner that we aren’t fond of?
“ The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” Martin Lurther King, Jr.
Now, for once, imagine not having electricity at night when u have an important exam tomorrow. Imagine having parents who don’t support your decision of learning, who do not understand the importance of education. Imagine not having food at all, leave alone your favorite dish. Such is the plight of thousands of children in India today. To be precise, India is home to over 30% of almost 385 million children around the globe living in extreme poverty.
Today, there are still around 60 lakh children out of school. 60 lakh illiterate kids who are going to grow up to become jobless adults, not contributing to the Indian economy in any way. Today, India has the largest population of 287 million illiterate adults in the world. This is a major and serious issue that is not only hampering the growth of our nation but even darkening the lives of these souls.
These children face daily problems that we cannot even fathom. Ignorance, lack of awareness, unsupportive parents, the orthodox mentality of the society, poor financial conditions, health problems, addictions, gender bias, just to name a few. And there is only one way to come out of this darkness of illiteracy, only one beacon of light that can set this right and reverse today’s unfortunate situation. And that is the awareness of the importance of education in one’s life. It is extremely essential for one and all to understand that education is the only way to eradicate poverty.
There are countless bright minds out there who never get a chance to showcase their talents. These kids don’t have the means to reach out to the right kind of people who could actually put their intelligence to the right use. Opportunities that could groom these kids, proper guidance that could channelize their energies in the right direction and bridge the gap between “dreaming for a better tomorrow” and the “self-belief and strength to make turn these dreams into reality” will lead them to financial stability and a feeling of self-satisfaction that they have put their energy to the right use.
To achieve this beautiful picture that I just painted is an extremely difficult task. The one that needs unwavering integrity, a strong will to see this change happen, good intentions and the capacity to put in tremendous hard work.
I think it’s safe for me to the term “us” i.e. people reading this blog, as a group of individuals who are better off and in a position to lend a helping hand to these unfortunate souls. We could start out this campaign by creating education awareness among people who don’t support it. A supportive family who understands what education can do to uplift one’s living standards is sure to enroll their kids in schools.
To create a society of educated and motivated youths has been the dream for quite a while. Now, its high time we actually take steps towards making this dream a reality and eradicate the adjective of illiteracy that defines our nation as a “developing” one. India has rolled-out the Right to Education Act but is yet to witness its complete and proper implementation. It’s time we stop blaming the government for its ambitious, but failed, schemes or unorganized ways of dealing with social evils and take efforts ourselves with an aim of lightening up the life of every poor Indian.
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