Education falls under the convention of basic human rights, yet many people across India refer to it as a luxury, difficult to attain. The main question is, who is responsible behind this and how can we omit the problem from the root of it?
“The problem lies deep down into the government education policy of India and lack of action being taken to mitigate it” says Aachal Jain, a 20 year old social activist from Bilaspur.
India is considered as one of the largest economies in the world. But surprisingly, it is also the home to the colossal number of poor people in the world next to Nigeria. With that being said, it also holds a record high number of 24% which is about 100 million urban Indians living in slums, according to the UN. This shows the level of discrepancy in masses that fails to avail social development.
From A Plan To A Reality.
In May, 2019 Aachal Jain founded a Non-Profit Organisation (NGO) called “Kadam: A Step Forward”. Ever since then the platform soared higher in achieving its mission. Taking all things into consideration, the initiative was taken to educate the slum children of Chhattisgarh. It’s been around one and a half years since Kadam was started, it’s identity and under its shelter, currently more than 300+ students are being taught school lessons. These kids belong to the 6 slum areas, allocated to Aachal under her supervision and guidance by the local government. She teaches 40+ students herself. Due to the current Covid 19 scenario, in-person classes are in the hold, but she continues to teach the students online. The outcome is excellent which is something Aachal refers to as, unimaginable. Recently, she has been awarded as a Corona Warrior from Bilaspur Police force and by the local Government for her contribution in providing education to slum children.
The Inception of Kadam: A step Forward.
“I visited a nearby slum, one day, where I met a few kids. Upon conversing with them, I got to know that even though they were students from 8th grade, they did not know basic mathematics and english alphabets. I quickly asked, why do you go to school, if you are not learning in a compatible environment? To which they replied, “We go for the free meal”, leaving me astonished and wondering.” – says Aachal.
She observed, the children living in slums were so poor that they could hardly afford a meal per day. The negligence is etched so deep within every person living in the slum that no one realises the need of being literate. Even after attending school, those children are not taken proper care of. Those schools do not provide age-appropriate learning curriculum nor trained teachers for students. The quality of education provided to them is so low that it remains a doubt whether they would grow up to be an aware and responsible citizen. At present, India is in a youth-bulge phase who make up the driving force of inclusive economic development. Yet, more than 27% of the Indian youth are secluded from education, employment or training. Now, whether it was a wake up call for all the policymakers and the powerholders or not, but it indeed was for Aachal.
“The time I spent with them, it brought a sense of fulfillment I was longing for. I felt real and a strong urge to do something for those children to give them a better future. Afterall, they are the future of our nation.” – says Aachal with pride in her eyes.
Overcoming The Obstacles.
Aachal explained, her journey was not a smooth one as she experienced the biggest challenge while covering up the gap in education of those students in higher grades. Initially, Ms. Jain taught children of various ages under one roof. Overtime, it became a struggle to teach all students at the same time as each student needed extra care. By the time Aachal taught the older students the basic lessons, they would reach an age when they were required to attend college level education or any kind of part time job for which they were not ready. This hindered the whole learning system but Aachal stayed adamant and balanced everything out eventually. She goes on to explain how being a REIKI healer, she understood the need for connectivity that encompasses the true mode of learning.
“If you love what you do, you can automatically make time for it. The love for transforming the education scenario in India and to do something for the society rubbed on to me from my GURU (Mentor). He inspires me to reach my full potential.” – adds Aachal.
Future Aspirations for Kadam: A step Forward.
In conversation with YouthDeck, Aachal tells us “ To create impact on ground level, I need to become a civil servant. And to provide meaningful education to as many slum children as possible, we need support from society.”
In the future, Ms.Jain envisions to create a holistic approach to learning for students, who want to start an early career. Besides this, she wants to assemble a friendly learning environment where children grow up as an empowered human being. “These are just a few plans out of many.” Aachal says laughingly.
Advice for Youngsters.
According to Aachal, you need to be passionate about what you do. Even the hardest of things in life have a solution. So don’t lose hope and keep hustling for more. The work of a social activist and running an NGO is not an easy one. It can be physically demanding as you always need to be present at the spot. Know that with no struggle, comes no progression. From a teenager with an existential crisis to a social activist, I have come far and so can you.
“Trust the process because this journey of life is more beautiful than the destination itself – says Aachal, signing off.”
