Lumos - Be the light!

Kids like to complain about going to school — there’s too much homework, they don’t like their teacher, or they aren’t fitting in socially. But in many parts of the world, kids would give anything to sit in a classroom with a teacher who cares about their future, in a stable building with ample books and supplies. But because of various reasons — war, poverty, gender inequality — many kids around the world don’t get this chance. In fact, 61 million school-age children are not in school today.

And in India only a small fraction can go to university.

Lack of quality primary education for the poor.

Majority of India still lives in villages and so the topic of rural education in India is of utmost importance.

A survey named called the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), shows that even though the number of rural students attending schools is rising, but more than half of the students in fifth grade are unable to read a second grade text book and are not able to solve simple mathematical problems.

Not only this, the level of Mathematics and reading is further declining.

Though efforts are being made, they are not in the right direction.

The reason cited for this problem in surveys is the increasing number of single classroom to educate students from more than one grade.

In some states attendance of teachers and students is also declining. These are a few reasons why schools have failed to educate rural India.

Quality and access to education is the major concern in rural schools as there are fewer committed teachers, lack of proper text books and learning material in the schools. Though Government schools exist, but when compared to private schools then quality is a major issue.

Majority of people living in villages have understood the importance of education and know that it is the only way to get rid of poverty. But due to lack of money they are not able to send their children to private schools and hence depend upon government schools for education.

Poverty is another setback. Government schools are not as good and private schools are expensive.

This results in a very low number of students actually clearing their secondary education and taking admission in a colleges for further studies. So the drop-out-rate at the secondary level is extremely high in villages. Only parents who can afford college education send their kids to secondary schools. If parents are not able to send their wards for higher education then all their previous efforts get wasted as completing just secondary education means a low paying job and the person is again struck in the same never ending cycle of money, life and poverty.

Following a life-cycle approach, Lumos Foundation works intensively through focused welfare projects in child education and community engagement through women empowerment.

Education is both the means as well as the end to a better life: the means because it empowers an individual to earn his/her livelihood and the end because it increases one's awareness on a range of issues – to appropriate social behavior to understanding one's rights – and in the process help him/her evolve as a better citizen.

Doubtless, education is the most powerful catalyst for social transformation. But child education cannot be done in isolation. A child will go to school only if the family, particularly the mother, is assured empowered. Moreover, when an elder sibling is relevantly skilled to be employable and begins earning, the journey of empowerment continues beyond the present generation.

The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Lumos Foundation believes that whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there's no better place to start than in the corridors of education.

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Be the light