HIGH SCHOOL RUNNER-UP - Diya Patel

Diya Patel, Grade 11
Woodland Park, New Jersey

A Lesson from Shakti The Cow

The highlight of my first trip to India was Shakti. Shakti was our neighbor's cow, and when I would see her with Urmi (our neighbor's daughter), I would run out the front door to meet them. One day, as I came to greet them as I'd done many times before, Urmi asked me a question.

She asked me if I'd like to learn how to milk a cow. But then she added that she would only teach me if I helped her improve her English. I was confused. "Don't they teach you that in school?" I asked. Urmi explained that her teacher was always absent, and her family responsibilities made her miss school. She was falling behind, and there was no system to support her. Although I did not realize it then, this was my introduction to the issues of Indian education.

Today, quality education is still out of reach for India's rural youth, who make up 65% of India's future workforce. This leads to unemployability, which leads to financial insecurity and inadequate education for the next generation. It is a vicious cycle that makes equitable education India's most pressing issue.

But the education problem does not have a one size fits all solution. Tackling this problem will require a three-pronged approach on fairness, facilities, and focus. Most importantly, none of these approaches will succeed without the help of Indian Americans.

FAIRNESS:
I. Rural India’s Education is Unequal to Urban India.

On paper, Indian education seems equitable. Section 21A. of India's Constitution requires that "The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen." However, nowhere in that amendment is the quality of instruction mentioned. India's government schools are plagued with issues.

The World Bank found that government schools have limited funding, poor infrastructure, and almost 25% of teachers are absent every day. Private schools don't have these problems, but they have a ₹1500 per month price tag. The average rural family's income is ₹8,060 per month, so a two-child family would lose 40% of their income on school alone. Consequently, their only option is to send their children to low-quality government schools.

II. How Can We Equalize the Opportunities Afforded to Rural India with Urban India?

Rural schools can be made equal to private schools through digitalization. Computers and tablets can give rural students access to otherwise unavailable education. For example, teachers at the Jinka School in India are not well versed in English. However,

word processing software on a donated laptop helps them teach English. The computer also teaches students digital skills, which opens up job opportunities that used to be closed to them. But just 18% of government schools have a computer.

We must expand that access. Technology is widely available in America; we can buy new laptops and tablets every few years. But what do we do with our old devices? We trade them in or let them collect dust.

Our old devices can be put to much better use back home. Drives for tablets and computers can digitize and equalize Indian classrooms. Social media campaigns can create a national effort to send devices to India and transform education.

FACILITIES:
I. Indian Students are Expected to Learn in Environments Not Conducive to Learning

A student's primary concern should be education. However, in rural India, school facilities are often unusable. The 13th Annual Education Status Report found that only 23% of public schools have usable toilets, and 11.5% have no female toilets. These improper facilities significantly impact the student experience. A quarter of Indian girls drop out of school because inadequate bathrooms make them feel unsafe.

II. How Do We Build Infrastructure Where Indian Students Can Thrive?

While this issue lies unaddressed, students are. However, the Akshaya Patra Foundation is a light at the end of the tunnel. With 39 American chapters, they've been able to repair toilets and teach sanitation education in 40 schools. But expanding the reach of the Akshaya Patra Foundation requires Indian American involvement.

Through mediums like Facebook and WhatsApp, social media campaigns can encourage people to reach out to their local Akshaya chapter. Easily shareable, short videos are best at raising awareness. From there, the people reached by the campaign can donate any amount that is reasonable for them. Every penny counts!

FOCUS:
I. The Indian Curriculum Is Not Suited to Securing Employment

India's educational framework is based on general education. Everyone is taught core subjects, but specialization in any subject is rare. The curriculum promotes memorization over learning. Students are not actively encouraged to develop problem-solving skills. As a result, students do not leave school with specialized knowledge, or skills, that make them easily hirable. The International Labor Organization found that only 1 of 5 students have taken a class that taught them about a specific career. The job market requires skills that the school system does not teach, so the number of educated jobless students grows every day.

II. How Do We Change the Focus of The Indian Curriculum to Expand Opportunities?

This issue requires the most help from younger Indian Americans. The biggest advantage of American schools is the opportunity for specialized education. American schools have career-related clubs like Mock Trial, Future Business Leaders of America, Robotics Clubs, Culinary Clubs, and many more. Students graduate with experience and understanding of their intended career.

Pairing Indian American students with Indian schools can bring this system to India. The first step is a social media campaign that calls attention to India's need for career- specific education. American Indian students can then enter a registry, give their contact information, and list the subject-specific programs they do. Indian schools can create career programs and use the registry as support. The Indian American volunteers would help teachers develop activities and lesson plans for these clubs when contacted by email or text. Most Indian schools don't have teachers with the expertise to create Engineering or Business clubs, but the support of young Indian Americans can help them do so.

CONCLUSION

The success of each solution (fairness, facilities, and focus) is essential. Fixing the facilities of Indian schools without changing curriculum focus and fairness between rural and private schools will deny rural students employment opportunities. Fixing the school curriculum's focus without fixing the facilities or fairness of opportunities will leave most students disadvantaged. Fixing the fairness of opportunities without addressing curriculum focus and facilities will deny students equal access.

The path forward also requires the help of Indian Americans. Education will become fair when Indian Americans donate electronic devices to digitize rural classrooms. School facilities will aid the learning process when donations fuel the Akshaya Patra Foundation's sanitation projects. The focus of the school curriculum will benefit students when young American Indians can use their opportunities to guide teachers into creating career specialized programs.

After reflecting on my interaction with Urmi, I am more aware of the importance of education. When I visit India, I feel proud that this is where my culture, family, and DNA is from. Solving the education issue will allow our country to reach its full potential, which is a wish I know other Indian Americans share.

References

Byker, Erik Jon. "The One Laptop School: Equipping Rural Elementary Schools in South India

Through Public Private Partnerships." U of North Carolina at Charlotte. Global Education Review, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1080913.pdf. Accessed 31 May 2021. Working paper.

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation. "E-Shiksha; Teaching with Tablets." Ekal, Netlink, www.ekal.org/e- shiksha-teaching-with-tablets. Accessed 31 May 2021.

Nanda, Prashant K. "Aspirations Bring Girls to Schools, Lack of Toilets Drives Them Away." Mint News [India], 19 June 2014. Live Mint, www.livemint.com/Politics/XgN1XAJgwljqQ42NNlGRQM/Aspirations-bring-girls-to- schools-lack-of-toilets-drives-t.html.

"Non-Standard Employment Around the World." International Labour Office, Geneva Switzerland, 2016. International Labour Organization. Accessed 31 May 2021. Working paper.

Raghavan, Sharad. "The Poor State of School Infrastructure." Mint News [India], Jan. 2015. Mint, www.livemint.com/Politics/h7WkzI77bMtmN9FLDvyo0M/The-poor-state-of- school-infrastructure.html. Accessed 31 May 2021.

Singh, Rubee, Dr. "Issues & Challenges of Indian Education in Current Scenario." RBMI Group of Institutions, Gr Noida India, 2 Feb. 2019. International Journal For Innovative Engineering and Management Research, file:///Users/diyapatel/Downloads/RUBYCOPYRIGHT2filesmerged.pdf. Accessed 31 May 2021. Working paper.

Verma, Rashmi. "Building Toilets in Rural Schools is Not Enough." Down To Earth Media Publications, 29 Jan. 2019. Down To Earth, www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/building-toilets-in-rural-schools-is-not-enough- they-have-to-be-usable-too-63017. Accessed 31 May 2021.