Radhika MundraHow To Solve The Biggest Problems With Education Of Girl Child: #SupportMySchool Initiative
Education is an enlightening experience that we all gain over the course of our lives, significantly in schools. As India is progressing, so is our education system but there is still a big dent in the development process, education is not about studying and getting good marks rather it’s about applying what you’ve learnt in real life and make new discoveries that were out of our domain of knowledge.
| Source: UNICEF |
The importance of education in the lives of the female population of India is more prominent than in males. In earlier times, it was thought that educating the girl child wasn’t required. The females were taught to live a life confined in the four walls surrounding their homes, not outside.
Today, educating a girl child has become a necessity. The benefits of their education are seen by individuals, their families, and throughout society. After all, no one said that the bread earner has to be a man.
But, the education facilities imparted to these children are absolutely unguarded. Education is not just about developing the mind, but also developing habits and skills to survive in the surrounding environment.
The schools providing such facilities lack the basic amenities that are essentially required for every child to survive, be it drinking water or toilets. The first and foremost lesson to be taught to every child is that about a healthy lifestyle. Drinking unhygienic water has been reported as the main reason of sickness among these children. Lack of clean and hygienic toilets compels these children to defecate openly in the unhealthiest manner, inviting the deadliest of diseases.
The need of the hour is to nurture the talent and provide the best facilities to these children in the rural areas. While the Government has started the ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’ to overcome the sad state of sanitation and hygiene in India, the Support My School Campaign , a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) initiative, initiated by Coca-Cola India & NDTV, is taking up Mission 1,000 i.e. to revitalise 1,000 public schools in the country.
• Provision of improved access to water
• Appropriate sanitation facility for girls and boys
• Improvement in the overall school infrastructure and environment
• Provision for sports and recreation facilities and
• Recharging groundwater through rainwater harvesting
With such necessary amenities in place, schools are able to provide a cleaner and healthier
environment more conducive to learning.
The campaign has been creating awareness about the conditions of schools in these areas, fostering a private-public partnership where corporate organisations step in to reinstall basic facilities in these government-run schools and making a positive difference to the lives of these children. The impact has seen increased enrolment in schools from 6.95% (2013-14) to 14.77% (2014-15).
the need of the hour
Very true, Ila!
Agree and Education is necessary for all.
The initiative is really appreciable but the need of such initiatives is much more in rural areas where parents are not even ready to send their children to the school.