Primary education is one of the basic rights of a child. But, there are millions of children all over the world who often have to forego their rights on primary education and engage in child labour instead because of their socioeconomic status. The National Literacy Rates according to the Census of 2011 in India is 74.07%. So there are still 25.93% of the population who are ‘seven years old and above and cannot read or write with understanding.
University of Hyderabad was recently awarded the Visitor’s Award for the Best University. It is a hub of knowledge production with some of the best faculties in the country. Students from different parts of the India as well as the world are studying and many research papers are published every year. Within the same campus there is also a Kendriya Vidyalaya, ‘a system of central government schools in India that have been instituted under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development.’ Ironically, it is within the same campus that one can find little kids, who are supposed to be in a school and receive education, just lingering around the construction sites where their parents have come to work.
Instead of waiting for the government or NGOs to take an action, we should initiate and take the first steps in solving them. It may seem small at first and some people may even discourage us. But if you know what you’re doing is right then keep at it because you will soon find people sharing the same wavelength to back you up.
Under the leadership of Nidheesh Kumar, a first year MA Mass Communication student in the University of Hyderabad, a group of students from different departments within the university came together to take a step to deal with this concern. They initiated a programme called “Each One Teach One”, which focusses on giving the children of the construction workers a non-formal education. This programme was initiated on the 25th of January this year. 59 students from different departments volunteered for this noble cause. 20 children above the age of four are taught by the volunteers, where each volunteer tutors about one to three students on shift basis. This is not the only goal of these students. They have all willingly donated whatever they could in order to buy stationery items for the kids, such as notebooks, slates, colouring books, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, chalks etc. In addition to that they also bought some new clothes and slippers for them. Occasionally the volunteers provide them with some snacks and chocolates. According to the reports, around 12 students have already learned how to read and write while the others are catching up. Garima, one of the volunteers said that, “it gives me an inner satisfaction and makes me happy when I see their urge to learn how to read and write.” They have a public group on Facebook where they update their daily activities and plans and display the bills and receipts for a smooth and transparent functioning of the initiative.
This might not be a huge initiative but it could definitely lead to one. “As the name suggests this is a call for each individual and friends residing at any place in the world to share knowledge among the illiterate or the needy. That’s why we named it ‘Each One Teach One’” says Nidheesh. There are plans to extend this programme to the nearby slum areas but for the time being their focus will be on stabilising the programme in the campus itself.
When we look at the society around us we may find certain issues that need to be fixed. Instead of waiting for the government or NGOs to take an action, we should initiate and take the first steps in solving them. It may seem small at first and some people may even discourage us. But if you know what you’re doing is right then keep at it because you will soon find people sharing the same wavelength to back you up. This is a message that ‘Each One Teach One’ suggests all of us. It should be an inspiration to many youngsters out there and especially to students from different colleges and universities. We are the future of this country. We should make a conscious effort to be responsible citizens and must strive to serve the society in any way possible. We are all unique and blessed with different flairs and abilities. If we know our potential and have the will, we can use our talents and abilities to bring changes to our immediate milieu, which will in-turn bring about a change to the nation and the world.
Bahot bakwas