Sharing learning to get kids off streets

In India, as in Europe, it’s the law that all children must go to school - and that school should be free for kids from 6 to 14. But unlike in Europe, at least one child in 20doesn’t get to primary school at all and many others get very little teaching.  

Before you go thinking that these children in India are enjoying one big school holiday, it’s not all fun and games, of course. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Many Indian children go to work, selling things in the streets, begging, or labouring in workshops or on farms. Many parents fear that they and their children might starve if the kids don’t earn a little money.

Indian governments have done a lot. Even though the population has doubled in just 40 years, the number of children out of school has fallen from one in three to one in 20. Three-quarters of Indians can read and write today, compared to less than half in 1980. 

But even when families do want to send their children to school, getting an education is hard. There are often not enough teachers, or books or pencils. Families can be expected to pay for things even though school is supposed to be free. Many parents don’t see the point.

Don’t just sit there, do something!

Of course, most Indian children do go to school and many families live comfortable lives.Sagarika Deka is one of these. But one day she realised that her country had a problem. 

Two years ago, when Sagarika was 18, she was in a poor neighbourhood of her home city,Guwahati, in northeast India, and she met a girl about her own age who was carrying a baby. This very poor teenager, who could barely afford to get food for herself, said the baby had been left by its parents and so she was looking after it.

Sagarika was shocked. She realised then that people like herself, who had an education and much more money than the girl with the baby, could do much more. With friends, she thought about how to help poor children. They decided that a good way to start would be to get more children going to school instead of working or begging in the street. That way, the children could find ways to earn more and live better when they grow up.

Caring, and sharing

At the beginning of 2022, Sagarika and her friends were able to open their first school. By putting their time, talents and a little pocket money together, they are able to offer several dozen children totally free lessons during the week from a full-time teacher as well as a fun morning of activities and practical tips from older students on Sundays. The kids also get a free lunch. That’s been important to help persuade their parents to send them to school.

Journalists for WoW! News visited the school and found the children, who are aged from about 5 to 11, really enjoying themselves. Volunteers from Sagarika’s organisation teach them songs and dancing, sports and also practical things, like how to avoid accidents. The children have learned a lot, the volunteers said. And the volunteers love it!

Sagarika says she’s learned a lot, too. She’s had to overcome plenty of difficulties.There’s never enough money. But her idea of bringing young educated people together to help children who don’t get enough schooling has been recognised by a big, international organisation as one that can work elsewhere. She’s already opened one other school and is working on a third, in the Indian capital Delhi, where she now studies at university.

Sagarika’s message to other young people: Don’t just sit there – you too can share your talents and help other people. As she says: “Just do it!”