Student Name: Deetya Pai – Finalist (Middle School Cohort)

Grade During 2019-2020 Academic Year: 7th grade

Hometown: Austin, TX

Self Reliance Through Education

Education is very important for everyone. Without education we wouldn’t do so well later on in life. Did you know that less than half of the children in India between the ages 6 and 14 go to school? The infrastructure is poor in many areas and only 69% of the teachers have a degree! To make matters worse, a lot of the schools are in poor condition. Many children attend private schools, which have funds to hire qualified teachers and purchase textbooks for students. Public schools, on the other hand, don’t have as much money so they can’t offer the best curriculum for students. The infrastructures for public schools do not create an adequate learning environment, thus pushing the students to failure. If we provide an opportunity for these kids to acquire the skills to be self-reliant, then that will make a big difference.

On researching nonprofit organizations, I came across one that addressed this issue. Build A School In India (BSI) is an organization that builds schools in India where there aren’t any schools or where schools desperately need repair. They have built a successful school in Sangola, Solapur District, Maharashtra. 90% of the students’ parents are farmers who depend on rain and crops. But regular occurrences of drought have increased, making harvesting difficult. The site says that “providing children with a good education allows a greater potential for income and success in their lives.” I also liked their statement: “The school strives to equip students with knowledge and skills that will allow them to flourish in the Sangola community and not move away for jobs and income producing opportunities in other, larger cities.”  This type of education will help the farms, and the people in Sangola grow and thrive.

BSI is solving this issue in a way that benefits small communities and empowers them. We can support them by holding fundraisers like runs and events to raise awareness and money. We can also hold a donation drive where people can donate school supplies like pencils, notebooks, and pens. 

I believe we can form an organization similar to BSI by reaching out to businesses willing to educate underprivileged children across India. Businesses can also recruit people to go down to the schools and train the students to become self-reliant. In my current school, representatives from businesses come down to demonstrate new skills. This experience has helped me figure out how to apply what I learn into a real-world situation. Such hands-on learning activities will support small communities. 

Depending on where the school is, we will decide the kind of education needed in that area. What I mean by that is, let’s say we’re building a school in an area without clean water. That school will teach the kids the basic subjects in school along with how to live a healthy and sustainable life by learning to make water filters and tools to get food, fight off animals, and build sustainable shelters.

It’s very important for everyone to have a proper education. Education isn’t only about math and reading, it’s about learning how to be resourceful and self-sufficient. If people receive a good education, then I bet they can become successful individually and as a community.