“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

—Nelson Mandela;

Education is a powerful tool for change, no matter what you’re fighting for, leading with a sharp mind can create more positive change than running toward challenges with violence.
Since Independence, One of the most important basic needs that can change the complete scenario is ‘Education’ and government is running lots of Education Schemes to improve the statistics. The literacy ratio of India is 77.70% with male literacy at 84.70% and female literacy at 70.30% according to NFHS-5 and NSO (2021 and 2022).

Various reasons why people may fail to seek education
Despite having various educational schemes, some people still fail to receive benefit from them-
• Lack of awareness – mostly because they are not aware of its existence, a person simply cannot opt for a thing he is not aware of, hence making these schemes known and let people enjoy its benefits is an important step to be fulfilled.
• Government schools – having 15,07,708 Government schools all across, there are number of holes in government schools i.e. Infrastructure deficit, low qualification level of teachers, lack of learning material, etc. which stops the youth from getting proper education.
• Poverty – poverty is one of the main reason for lack of education, High cost of private education and need to work to support their families and little interest in studies are the reasons given by 3 in every four drop-outs as the reason they leave.
• Culture and religious factors – in some cultures, people just get basic education and often rely on certain beliefs or religious factors, not valuing education. This may in part be more true for girls since they are supposed to stay in ‘kitchens’ and do work instead of getting proper education and make a career. 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.

Now, not getting proper education does not only affects the individual and their family, but also the country and economy as whole.
• One of the main effect of illiteracy being poverty – researches have clearly have shown poverty and education highly positively correlate. According to world bank, poverty rate in India is still closer to 10%.
• Unemployment – low level of education certainly increases the level of unemployment, not having sufficient level of education, it becomes hard for an individual to get a job. Which in turn also affects the GDP. Currently, India’s GDP per capita income estimates 2321,104usd i.e. 1,90,931.11inr.
• Low salary/ standard of living – individuals with low levels of education and skills are often taken advantage by the employers who want to maximise the profit while also providing low salary because low level of education often implies low salary. And low salary is just not enough for the individual the raise their standard of living.

Importance of proper education
The thing that almost everyone agrees on is how important education is. Education assures stability, allows you to be self dependent, lets you take a step forward towards your dreams and goals, proper awareness of the world around you, there is almost nothing that an individual cannot accomplish while having power of education and proper use of wisdom.

Solutions
• Improved facilities in government school- improving quality of education, appointing trained teachers, have proper infrastructure and facilities, availability of proper washrooms and study materials can ultimately help students gain proper knowledge, and having proper environment encourages one to study.
• Make education more accessible to girls and women’s- compared to males(84.70), females literacy percent is comparatively very low (70.30%). where girls and women are still discriminated against due to their gender, it is crucial to raise the awareness that girls education is just as important.
• Supporting service providing units – as a citizen of India, to contribute in helping children gain proper education, you can donate funds, donate books or any educational material or become a part of a campaign- which in turn may help the children in need.
• Raise awareness about importance of education – many parents are not even aware they are missing out on educating their child, thinking basic education or morals taught at home are sufficient, however, this is certainly not true and education is unspeakably important to succeed.

Government schemes
Kiran Seva Nyas has taken an initiative to make people aware of the government schemes through SearchSchemes for making education more accessible include
government education schemes include-

1. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan- It is a flagship programme of the government of India, that was started in 2001, to achieve the Universalisation of Elementary Education. The legal backing to SSA was provided when free and compulsory education for the children in the age group of 6-14 was made a fundamental right in the Indian Constitution under Article 21 A.
2. Shiksha Sahayog Yojana- Launched in December 2001, the Shiksha Sahayog Yojana (SSY) is a social security scholarship scheme meant for children whose parents are members of Janashree Bima Yojana. A Student can apply for Shiksha Sahyog Yojana and get upto 40,000.
3. Saakshar Bharat – The main objective of Saakshar Bharat is to further promote and strengthen Adult Education, especially of women, by extending educational options. Saakshar Bharat is a government of India initiative launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to create a literate society through a variety of teaching–learning programmes for the non-literate and neo-literate of 15 years and above.
4. Section 12 (1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides for admission of children belonging to disadvantaged groups (DG) and economically weaker sections (EWS) in private unaided schools to the extent of at least 25 percent of the strength of class I or below.
5. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides for access to elementary schools for children of the age group of 6-14 years, within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood.

Conclusion
lack of education is a big global problem, and can have serious adverse effects. Specially in poor countries which includes India, people can fail to seek education for various amount of reasons, which in turn affects the individuals life and economy of the country on a large amount. Therefore, it is very clear how crucial it is to fight the problem of lack of education These government schemes are doing really good and many people are getting benefitted. But still there is a lot more to be done and thus doing things on individual level do count and make a huge difference.
Let us open the door of education to many, by doing so, we are providing brighter future to the individual, and the country.

Author
Palak Panchal