Rural Education
Isha Vidhya
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Why you should donate?
We believe that every child has the right to an education. In India, the right to education is a rudimentary right that states that every citizen of India between the ages 6 to 14 years gets free and mandatory education. Education provides the necessary base for a child to push off from and blossom into a well-developed, intelligent individual. Education is not just the passing down of information from teacher to student; it is also the nurturing of each student to develop their unique personalities and find their inner talents. A well-founded education can help support each student to learn to stand independently and perform to their fullest capabilities.
Unfortunately, not all were given the privilege of education. In rural areas, many families find it difficult to afford the expenses of a good education for their children. An educated youth is not only important to eliminate poverty and reduce illiteracy rates, but for the country’s economic future as well. Literate children can boost the country's progress into widening scopes and advanced technologies.
According to a report from ASER, a nationwide survey of rural education and learning outcomes in terms of reading and arithmetic skills, it was found that over 50% of rural children between ages 3 and 16 years were not able to read and do math to their age-group’s levels.
What are the main problems connected with education in rural India?
Lack of availability of schools
Students oftentimes have to travel from village to village to access the nearest school, their journey made harder and longer yet by the lack of availability of transport. This discourages students from continuing their education and thus increases student drop-out rates.
Personal Finances
Poor parents who are willing to send their children to school may not always find it easy to be able to support their childrens’ learning financially.
Lack of awareness of educational importance
People in rural areas that are brought up in agricultural fields tend to dismiss or not understand the importance or the value of education. Children are grown up participating in these family activities and get little exposure to education. Various beliefs may also prevent children from getting access to education, such as the belief that girls and young women should not study and should instead spend their time doing household chores and agricultural tasks that may help the family or earn them a little more money.
Inadequate resources
In rural areas, schools lack the needed resources in order to function smoothly and be able to support the students’ growth and learning. Classroom materials such as benches and stationary are too expensive for the schools and the parents of the children to afford. Facilities such as bathrooms, labs, and outdoor play areas are either nonexistent or in bad state.
Digital divide
The internet is filled with a countless number of tools and resources to further extend education. It is important that these opportunities be extended to those studying in rural areas as well. During recent Covid-19 pandemic times, the internet has been used widely to continue education from home to shield students from getting exposed to the disease. But students coming from poor families in rural areas haven’t been able to access online education due to barriers such as no internet, lack of devices, and insufficient storage. All of these barriers require money to overcome. Students are dropping out, feeling that online education is too hard a struggle to endure.
What is Isha Vidhya?
Isha Vidhya is a pioneering education initiative established in 2006 that seeks to extend affordable and reachable education for underprivileged children living in the rural areas of India. Isha Vidhya is focused on raising awareness to the issues of rural education in order to increase literacy and education rates to build a stronger India.
Isha Vidhya also steps into the government school system, helping support them in distributing the best quality education they can offer.
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