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The inability of elementary students in Gadchiroli to access education due to a lack of resources necessary for distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community Voice
Community Voice
Consider the village Hemalkasa in Gadchiroli.
One of the first few residential schools started in Hemalkasa in 1976 by the Late Baba Amte, till today remains a pioneer in its achievements in the local area. The school has produced many doctors, engineers, lawyers, officers, farmers and entrepreneurs, all of them being the first in their community pursuing such vocations. It is also known to nurture national level athletes, who have fared impressively in state and national level tournaments. The school was shut down as per government-mandated rules, initially, for two weeks. However, it now remains closed until further notice.
A common opinion regarding the lives of tribal communities during the COVID-19 pandemic was romanticizing the life and culture of tribal and rural people. Theorising about how their lives remained unaffected. However, they are the ones in dire need of education, information, understanding of the unfolding crisis and updates that have a bearing on their lives. However, due to undependable power supply and internet connectivity, these children have gone from receiving well-rounded education to helping their parents with work on the farm and at home, taking care of animals.
Most of these students are first-generation learners. They do not have a conducive environment in their homes that will strengthen or consolidate their formal education in school. None of them has the luxury of newspapers, periodicals, maps, atlas, experiment kits, dictionaries, children books, and the like to keep them active in a learning mode.
The real deficit for tribal people is in the absence of credible and useful information. The pandemic and being cut off from school has only served to worsen the situation. Thus, it is necessary to create a platform for these students where they still have access to education while honouring the government school shutdowns and all safety protocols. Ensuring that students are receiving a quality education despite the circumstances created by the pandemic. Our vision is to help India achieve sustainable development by ensuring that all children in Gadchiroli have access to education and, as a result, are able to find meaningful work and secure their income to alleviate them from poverty.
WHO?
WHO?
Initially, our specific target audience are public schools in the district of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. As our enterprise grows we hope to make a difference for communities all across rural India.
WHAT?
WHAT?
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted students' ability to access and receive a quality education, across the globe and in all strata of society. Young children in rural India were stripped of their right to a quality education because they lacked the technological resources or were unable to establish the necessary internet connection needed for distance learning.
WHY?
WHY?
In the district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, India, there are as many as 829 villages that lack internet connectivity (Ganjapure 2022). Because of this, attendance became irregular and dropout rates in public elementary schools in rural Maharashtra soared, with over 25 thousand students out of school in just the first few months of lockdown. This is an important issue to tackle because a lack of education is a breeding ground for many other sustainability issues. For instance, a lack of employment contributes to poverty due to the absence of an income stream.
SDGs
SDGs
The associated SDGs that our problem statement helps engage with are Quality Education (SDG 4), No Poverty (SDG 1), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8). Our problem statement and solution directly combats the SDG of ‘Quality Education,’ by aiming to provide the same to students who were impacted due to a lack of resources during the pandemic. Through virtue of this, an outcome we hope to create is of helping alleviate poverty and create skills and profiles which are employable. Thus, working with the SDG of ‘No Poverty’ and ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth.’
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