Charity For Children

Education for Underprivileged Children

The Tej Kohli Foundation welcomes the passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, which we think creates an historic opportunity for children in India, particularly for those from the underprivileged sections of society.

The law, for the first time in the history of the country, guarantees to children their right to quality elementary education by the state. Very few countries in the world have made such a provision.

According to some estimates, there were about 8 million children in the age group of 6-14 who were not attending school in India in 2009. This number is very large, though the fact remains that it marks a big decline from the level of 25 million in 2003.

"Most of the children who are out of school are from the marginalized social groups. The challenge is to retain them in school and also ensure that they at least complete their elementary education through grade eight," says Mr Tej Kohli. “Equally important, society has to find ways of ensuring that the education we provide these children is of good quality so that their learning levels and cognitive skills are improved.”

The needs of this huge section of India's population will have to be addressed if the world is to reach its goal of ensuring that every child completes primary school by 2015. The problem is particularly acute in states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. Children from socially disadvantaged groups and girls are particularly likely to be left behind.

Thanks to the Government's efforts in the Education for All program, overall primary school enrolment went up by 13.7 per cent in India between 2000 and 2005. The increase was 19.8 per cent in the case of girls. There was near universal enrolment in Grade 1.

But, despite all these efforts, the fact remains that one in four children dropped out of school before reaching Grade 5 and nearly half by the time they reached Grade 8 in 2005. Furthermore, various studies have shown that those who managed to continue their studies were not quite learning the basics of literacy or numeracy much less the requisite skills needed to make their way forward in the world.

Related to this problem is the the shortage of qualified teachers in the country. Similarly, the lack of proper sanitation facilities, especially separate toilets for girls, is a major problem that affects enrolment in schools. Overall, only slightly more than half of schools in India have separate toilets for girls, but the percentage is much lower in many states. The Tej Kohli Foundation is committed to working with programs dedicated to the education of children from the underprivileged sections of society.

Working with other organizations already engaged in this area, the Foundation hopes to help more children enroll and stay enrolled in school. The Foundation is also looking at providing supplementary education programs for children already in school so that their quality of learning improves and they develop various other skills that will help them face life with greater confidence.

In particular, The Foundation will look at the possibilities of reaching out to child laborers, migrant children and children with special needs. Providing pre-school facilities to children of under-privileged sections has been recognized as a key strategy by experts and we will look at contributing in this area, too.

"While it is well known that secondary education yields social and economic benefits for the country, it is the primary bottleneck in India's education system today," Mr Kohli says.

Look at some of the figures: More than 95 percent of children attend primary school, but only 40 percent go to secondary school (Grades 9-12). This is an area where curriculum and teaching practices need a major overhaul and there is tremendous scope for public-private partnerships. There is also a big need for expanding vocational training for this age group.

When it comes to technical and tertiary education, India has one of the largest systems in the world, but only one 1 out of 10 young people in the country has access to higher education, the majority coming from the well-off sections. Ways must be found to enable students from low and middle-income families to gain access to tertiary education.

"When we talk about underprivileged children in India, the numbers can be staggering For instance, 40 per cent of India's population is below the age of 18 years, making it the world's largest child population. Now consider this: Less than half of India's children between the ages of 6 and 14 go to school. And that a little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade 1 reach grade 8," Mr Kohli says.

"Add to this, issues spanning child mortality, malnutrition, disease and child marriage, and we have an idea of the magnitude of the task at hand. There are also the issues related to girl children. Some of these issues have been discussed in detail elsewhere on this site," Mr Kohli says

There is no gainsaying the fact that education is one of the most important interventions that the Government and society can make to solve many of these problems. Despite the progress achieved, we are nowhere near a situation that can be described as satisfactory.

For instance, only 53 per cent of habitations have a primary school, only 20 per cent have a secondary school and on an average, an upper primary school is 3 km away in 22 per cent of areas under habitations.

Child labor is a major issue, with some estimates putting the number of children who work in India at 17 million. Most of them are sent to work by their parents out of compulsion, because they do not have appropriate employment and adequate income. A very large percentage of these children are in rural areas and work in the unorganized sector. Many of them are victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

It is also important to note that large numbers of children end up working because they simply do not have access to quality schools near their places of stay. Many poor families sell their children as bonded laborers, and many of those run away and end up as "street children".

Can we do something to ensure that these children are given a chance for normal growth and development? What can we do for abandoned children, children without families, disabled children who need special care and protection?

Does the fact that there are an 5 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 18 years bother us? Do we realize that 3 per cent of India's children are mentally or physically challenged?

"If we look around, some of these facts will stare us in the face. We will also realize that we can easily make a difference. The question is: Will we do something, or simply turn away?" Tej Kohli asks.