Government Schools

There was an article in Nov 22nd newspaper, The Hindu, about the state of a government run girls high school at Old Alwal in Hyderabad. This newspaper article described the plight of a girls high school with a picture of young children sitting on a bare floor and intently looking at the camera. This school had no electricity since its inception in 1960s. Ironically the government has given them a TV and ten computers. The later were returned by the school due to lack of electricity. This is also one of those school identified by the government to teach English to the students from 7th class but there is no English teacher.

This school has 625 students with each class packed with 70 students with no furniture or proper ventilation. The fifth class classroom shares the space with the kitchen (for mid-day meals). Worse of all the septic tank overflows all the time. The school headmistress had to pay from her pocket for the sweeper and watchman. There are no toilet facilities so the girl students have to spend the whole day with discomfort. The only good news about this school is one of alumni of this school is an IITian.

Why did I jump up after seeing this article? It is because I have been involved with a similar school near Hi-Tech city where I live. I sponsor a few things at Kothaguda Zillaparishad Primary and High school. This school is located in the heart of Hi-Tech city with towering office building all around. This school mostly caters to working class children most of whom work in the same neighborhood. The irony is that this school sits in squalor and neglect while it is in the lap of a high technology city of India. I sponsor the salaries of two teachers, a sweeper, a scavenger, donate stationary (notebooks) and other things. I hear that there are two more individual sponsors like me for this school and some IT companies help out once a while.

I pay Rs 1,500/month for each teacher, Rs 1,000/month for each support staff (scavenger, sweeper). The salaries of IT professionals in this neighborhood range from Rs 20,000 to Rs 200,000 per month. It costs you Rs 450 to have a decent lunch at a nearby restaurant. Cost of auto rickshaw from this place to Hyderabad is about Rs 100-150. How can a female teacher sustain with Rs 1,500 monthly salary? A car driver in Hyderabad makes Rs 6-7k/month, a maid makes Rs 3-4k/month.

This school has been complaining that they had to 'steal' electricity because they could not pay the electricity bill for last 2 years. They are asking the donors to pay this dues so that they can get proper electricity (AP politicians are promising to give the farmers free electricity but not for schools). Until I started paying for a scavenger, this school's toilets were unusable.

What I wish to share with you is my dismay at the plight of school systems that cater to the lower middle-class in India. The people who are benefitting from the economic growth in India are not truly the masses but those who can afford to go to English medium privately run schools. In a book written about modern India by Edward Luce, titled "In Spite of the Gods", he writes the lower middle class in India has realized that they can no longer depend on the government to provide their children education with decent standards. He quotes a Muslim family in old Hyderabad which makes around Rs 6,000/month spending Rs 3,000/month to send their children to a private school. But the future of millions of other children remain with the government schools. Both the children of my domestic help and driver (together they make Rs 9k/month) have stopped going to school. Why? Not because their parents don't want to or can't afford, because the children find it hard to study in these schools.

The biggest difference that will make in the lives of these students is having a decent English teacher. You may be surprised but English has become a major factor in getting a break from these kids. But most schools don't have any or can't afford to get a proper English teacher. I am looking for people who can join me in helping this school to sponsor the salary of an English teacher. The salary for such teacher is around Rs 3,500/month (more than those for other subjects).

Let me explain how I work with these schools to give you an idea how you may if you wish to join in this effort. I never donate funds or articles to the schools directly for the fear of misuse. I go through a non-profit organization called 'Project 511' that works exclusively to help government run schools. A representative is assigned to us who works with the schools we are interested to help, make a list of things the school needs, collect our donations, makes sure it is spent properly, send quarterly reports to donors and plan how to spend future donations. You can transfer funds directly to their bank account. Donations to them are tax deductable in India.

If you wish to help in this effort to fund an english teacher, you don't have to send that much money each month. You can send what you can and as it accumulates the school and Project511 will then look for a teacher. Or if more than one of you is interested to help then you all can share the cost.

Next blog will be about stories of people with not so great incomes but working in their own way to help the less fortunate people. One is a story of a 9 year old girl who saves money all through the month to donate to a charity. One is a story of a young college student in a village in Karimnagar who is keeping his village clean, hygienic, green and plastic free with help of children in their village. Another is a story of a physically challenged person (with no legs) who donates Rs 500 from his Rs 3,000 a month salary to help needy children.