Rural Education in India Needs Transformation

When we talk about education in our country India, we can’t talk about only the urban education! Almost 90% of the schools in India are located in rural areas, but a recent survey of these schools point out that inspite of these schools being present in name at these places, their management and the education being provided at these schools, or children coming to these schools remain a questionable aspect.

Some of the most common problems faced by rural parts of India with respect to education are as follows:

• No or Low access to proper transportation – Almost all villages have extremely poor connectivity between places. Children may have to walk many miles to reach the government funded schools, if there is a good school nearby, that is!
• Lower incomes – Rural Indian families, most of them have lesser incomes. This at times is even less to sustain their family and food needs! They do not have means to pay the tuition fees of a good school nearby, even if they want to educate their children.
• Lack of schools and infrastructures – Last but not the least, most parts of rural India does not have a good school nearby. If the school is present, the infrastructures are not upto mark. Most of these schools lackeven proper classrooms, teaching equipments, playgrounds & basic facilityof clean toilets. 

The reality check still shows that children in Rural India are not able to receive basic quality education easily. During the age of four to fourteen, which are the formative years for any child’s cognitive skills and abilities, school education plays the most important role. It is very unfortunate that rural India still does not have access to this basic need of children which is education. There is no doubt that it is education that eventually does lead to the road to socially and economically empowering these marginalized communities, and to the progress of our nation as a whole large. To transform India as an economy, the first step is no doubt to transform its rural education scenario!

One such organization that has understood these problems of education in rural India is The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. They run 129 schools in northern for rural education system in India on a completely different, affordable and sustainable philosophy. All their schools are well staffed, adequately equipped, and offer all basic facilities to children like clean toilets and classrooms, among st others. They open and manage schools for rural children, and charge a very less &subsidized school fees. They mobilize financial and non financial resources by seeking donations and funding from like-minded individuals and organizations that believe in contributing towards this social cause of education of rural India. They have various channels and ways in which donations happen. ‘Sponsor a child’s education’ is one of their major categories in which they receive a substantial support annually, and this is used to sponsor and subsidize the tuition fees of the economically weaker sections of children that enroll in their schools. Together, their entire network of schools provides education to over 60,000 students each year.

Baru Sahib – Actively Channelizing Education in Rural India

Almost one third of rural India has no access to primary education. Even lesser percentage have access to secondary education. Rural India, which constitutes a major part of India is lagging behind socially and economically due to lack of one of the most basic needs of children, which is the right education at the right age.

There are very few educational institutions in India that have a presence Education in Rural India

. Opening a school in these remotest and rural parts entail many obstacles like more investments, longer break even period owing to lesser tuition fees and many other similar problems. In such a case, rural education remains an unmet demand in India.

Even in this modern age, children still are denied basic education because they have no access to schools or even if they do have a school nearby; their families can’t afford the steep school fees. In such a scenario, the only sustainable solution remains to provide rural education system in India , but at extremely subsidized and lower rates, so that the marginalized communities residing in these areas can afford to educate their children.

One such organization that has taken pioneering steps in this direction is The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. They run affordable and high quality schools in village of northern rural India on a completely sustainable, unique, and affordable philosophy. They leverage upon donations that come in from all categories of individuals and organizations from India and abroad and channelize these funds to manage these schools so that the tuition fee is at a bare minimum. This enables a higher percentage of rural masses to be educated. One of their flagship schools that has created quite a name for itself on this sustainable format is the Akal Academy, Baru Sahib.

This entire chain of such rural schools run by The Kalgidhar Trust consists of a wide portfolio of 129Academiesthat span over Northern Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.Together, theyprovide quality school education to over 60,000 students each year in the rural parts of India. This is indeed a commendable step towards social inclusion and an effective means to ensure education to the children residing in the rural parts of India.