Malala Yousufzai once said, “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world”. As a privileged citizen of a thriving society, I was given numerous opportunities to establish the ability to learn and grow, and am very thankful to all those who stood by my side and made sure I was given the best, wherever I go. Today, I keep my head up high and dare to dream big, as I know that the power of high-class education will always propel my wings to touch the stars.
Unfortunately, this is not the case of even half of India’s growing population. According to an article published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 50 percent of the adolescents of our country do not cross the periphery of a secondary education, while close to 20 million kids do not even see the doors of a pre-school. Why is this? Is our country not taking the apt efforts to bring these numbers down? Absolutely not. Laws, awareness programmes, government policies, benefits; these are some of the few effective measures we have taken, and it shall be a lie to say that they have not been fruitful. However, the million-dollar question still stands. Why are we still in hot water? This question can only be answered by those for whom we prosper in this nation, our young generation. While some are given golden opportunities to make it big, it is important to realise that there is another half of people of our age who struggle and fail to exploit the student in them, thanks to the numerous battles they face every day. One such horrendous battle faced by millions of Indians is poverty.
Our nation stands proud with the third largest economy anywhere in the world, and has been taking small steps to make every sunrise worth it for our future generation since her independence. However, many factors, such as our outgrowing population, unemployment rates, economic trends and so on, have ceased her capability to sprint into successfully giving all her children a piece of what they deserve, throwing a huge chunk of the people into the sinful jaws of penury.
From malnutrition and physiological under-development to severe behavioural issues and disfigured mental maturation, poverty can prey on all aspects of its biggest survivor, a child. In order to save their dying family from the claws of starvation and ill-treatment, children, who should be seen playing with others of their age or in a classroom learning, can be seen spending the day breaking sweat to ensure there is food on the table. Not only will this thieve them off their right to pursue a comfortable life, but it also blurs out their one in a million chance to contribute to the society as a developed, responsible citizen, and make a mark in this world. Increased exposure to violence, family pressure, financial distress and inadequate time to be the kid they were meant to be, impoverishment is the first step to completely burning down a child’s confidence, and ultimately tearing down the society.
Although being tool to global evolution, quality teaching has become a rare gift offered to this side of the young population, discounting many enthusiastic minds from opening doors to a whole new world. The basic right of every individual to learn and grow has recurrently been scrutinized to a mere game of wealth, or even luck, and it is devastating to see that the ideal cause of this crisis has been a part of the country since forever. Poverty is not something new to the streets of India, and it crushing that the status of one’s pocket has begun deciding if they’d go to school or jewel up to start a new life away with someone ten years older.
The public, sadly, have slowly begun opting out of initiating to efface the problem, and prefers to complain about previous attempts to heal or unrealistically blame and quarrel among one another for their choices. We have accustomed our senses to the plight of the needy, ignoring the unhappiness that revolves around us. We forget to question ourselves, “Do they deserve to live like this?” “If it is not fair if a majority go unnoticed just because they do not hold a degree., then why is it that those who deserve that degree get robbed off it”?
The irony stands still. It is crucial to understand that proper education could be the answer to our long-winding crisis. Getting more children educated means a larger part of the population is facilitated with basic communication skills and primary competence to survive the hardships of life under a roof they can call their own. Moreover, the underprivileged get a better idea of their rights and what they deserve, and grow to become more aware parents. They can understand the significance of proper healthcare, nutrition, and development, leaping into advancements can spread wide and loud thought the country. Children can understand their body better, comprehend the truth behind all the taboos that surround maturation, menstruation, changes they undergo, sexual health and so on.
Fortunately, we have modernized education with new interpretations of school, and compromising on high-infrastructure and exposure to the best kind of experiences is something we cannot lean toward. Many established institutions have started opening up and reserving seats for those deprived, which is a great way to bring students of all backgrounds to where they deserve to be. Small steps that vow to improve a society or a household, such as donating to a trusted charter school or helping the needy does build a strong foundation for the future developments and larger movements to step on, but also gives the next generation the push they need to show the humanity we almost gave up on.
The harsh reality of negligence and ignorance has proved itself true, time and again, washing away every ounce of humanity and companionship left beneath the kind souls of us, humans. Experience has enlightened to us, the fact that if not taken under control, poverty will stain the generations to come. The rising statistic threatens the fore coming generations and it is heart wrenching to accept the fact that as individual people, we are helpless.
Everyone would love to make the world a better place to live, aspiring to be the best of them. However, we forget that unity has always made a mark in a successful mission. It is crucial for countries to come together, and pave way for other under- developed and progressing nations, guiding them through the harsh rides of poverty, thus supporting them to withstand poor education. All the same, droplets of water build the sea. Yes, we have made significant progress from our dire situation couple of years back. With programmes like Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, it is safe to say that government policies have begun slowly, but steadily, making progress toward a prosperous new day for many people, but we are still miles away from ensuring every new member is given a plate full of food and a mind full of education. As single blocks, we must be able to free our minds from the assumption that the poor do not possess the ability to learn among the rich, and this tends to be applicable to each and everybody, spread all across the world.
Our country is in our hands, and soon, we shall be passing it over the upcoming generation with the promise of a wonderful future. After all, we all are brothers and sisters who have been given birth to with the only hope to live to see a better tomorrow. Hence, steps, big or small, should always be appreciated, and a helping hand always welcomed.
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