As a law student and a social entrepreneur running an NGO named Vijay Social Welfare Society in Indore, my views on the rights of children are that all of them should receive equal education and opportunities, irrespective of where they live and what their parents do.
According to the Indian constitution, the right to education is a fundamental right. Every Indian (irrespective of their caste, class, gender, religion, political preference, race or ethnic origin etc.) is entitled to a free, elementary education.
The Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009 emphasises compulsory and free education for all children. According to this Act, it is obligatory for the Indian government to provide free and compulsory, elementary education (till the 8th standard) to each and every child, in a neighbourhood school within the area of one kilometer.
No child is liable, or should be forced, to pay fees or any other charges that may prevent them from pursuing and completing their elementary education. Also, free education includes the provision of textbooks, uniforms, stationery items, and special educational material for children with disabilities.
This is a gist of what I have learnt in law school, but if we look at my personal experiences from the slums I work in: most people in the interior slums of Indore are not even aware about the fact that the RTE exists.
The sole purpose of making this Act was to provide children with education, which is a necessity for them to grow up to become well-adjusted, healthy adults. It hurts me deeply every time I find out that those who need it the most have absolutely no clue about the Act, or for that matter, any governmental policy made for their betterment.
People Living In Slums Have Limited Resources
Let me tell you about my own personal experience. Back in 2o15, when I was in class 10, I was taken to a slum area by my mother on my birthday. I wanted to throw a lavish party for my classmates, but my mother made me realise the fact that there are others who don’t even have the access to the basic necessities in life.
The plan was to distribute sweets and come back home. At the time, I thought I had done something which was very unusual. I was very proud of myself. Looking at my pictures, my friends also wanted to do the same on their birthdays so I accompanied them.
After two or three visits, I realised that giving slum dwellers sweets is not the solution to their problems. When I sat there and spoke to the rag pickers, domestic workers and daily wage workers, I realised the amount of problems they faced were manifold. Also, scarcity of resources was very clearly visible.
There is a point of realisation in every one’s life about what they are meant to do with their life. For me, I think that was it. I realised that I wanted to help them. It has been six years since then and I haven’t looked back.
I have thousands of experiences interacting with different people from the slums of Indore, be it a 40-year-old woman, a 70-year-old grandpa, or a 12-year-old girl who is also a rag picker. And, all these experiences contain the stories of different people, and their lives.
Every memorable moment with them taught me an important lesson in life. The slum dwellers have taught me how: a big family survives with limited resources; little things can bring huge happiness; and most importantly, the importance hard work.
Girls Are Made Responsible For Household Chores
This one time, I met a girl who was barely 12 years old. She was standing outside her house (made from tin). She was looking after her house and three, younger siblings. I remember how desperately she wanted to go to school like the other girls from Musakhedi, but couldn’t, as her parents were daily wage workers.
They had to go to work every morning, leaving her at home to take care of their other children.
It took me a lot of time to make the adults realise the importance of education, as their usual way of thinking said that if a child is old enough to work then why should they go to a school instead?
For them, the most important thing is to earn money so that their entire family can eat two square meals a day. Hence, the thought process is that sending kids to school is a waste of time.
As soon as I got to know about this, I understood the importance of the phrase called ‘parivartan hi sansar ka niyam hai‘, which means that change is the essence of life.
I took this challenge as an opportunity. I thought to myself that my purpose in life would be to make people aware about the prospects that can open up for their kids if they go to school to pursue education.
I wouldn’t say that I have reached the goal I set out for myself because there are thousands of people out there who are still unaware of their rights, but I can proudly say that I have successfully managed to send more than 300 children to government schools.
The Importance Of Vocational Skills And Value Education
I have helped children with their admissions as the process requires a lot of paperwork, which many kids did not have, sadly. You can’t expect a child who is unsure about their birth date to have an Aadhar card, ration card, birth certificate, electricity bill etc.
Not only do I help them with paperwork, I also motivate them to study and secure good marks. I am living the journey of being a social entrepreneur to the fullest.
As I began sending more children to school, I realised that not every kid was interested in studying. Some were much more interested in vocational activities which required creative or practical thinking.
They had a different outlook towards life. So, with that in my mind, we began discussing how to start projects that include value education and skill development.
It took a lot of time to finalise a foolproof plan, but right now, we have more than 100 children working on their desired goals. There are more than 50 girls who are learning skills such as embroidery, weaving, stitching etc.
Also, 70 men are working as apprentices with professionals like chauffeurs, electricians, masons etc. We also conduct sanskar shivirs (value camps).
The whole and sole reason for this program is so that the children can sustain themselves and their families in the future.
Every Child Deserves Quality Education
As per government data, the annual, average dropout rate for girls was 17.3% at the secondary education level, and 4.74% at the elementary level, in 2018-19.
And, the percentage has been increasing since then. The main reason for the dropout rate of girls being very high (especially in rural and semi-urban areas) is due to the attitude of the family and society at large, wherein girls are expected to take care of their houses, siblings and elders.
It is also due to inadequate facilities in schools like the availability of toilets with running water and menstrual products. The main causes of dropout of children from schools in India are poverty, accessibility of study materials, availability of resources like time and money, as well as awareness around paperwork.
It is an urgent requirement to make sure that these basic facilities are available in all public schools.
Moreover, most government schools in the coastal areas of Kerala are also used as relief camps during monsoon season. Lots of anganwadi centres in the state of Uttar Pradesh are used for the purpose of storing grains and crops.
The purpose of government schools and anganwadi centres is to provide education to all children, but are instead used for various other purposes. It is very important to understand that all children deserve access to knowledge.
Their childhood should not be a bad phase full of working days and nights. Instead, their childhood should be full of playful and educational experiences.
I dream of a world where they can enjoy every bit of their lives with others of their age. And, with a little bit of effort, we can make a world of difference in their lives.
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This is the first part of the three-part series on ‘the right to education of children living in the slums of Indore‘ as a part of the Justicemakers’ Writer’s Training Program, run in partnership with Agami and Ashoka’s Law For All Initiative. The second and final parts can be found here and here.