24 October 2008
Rajesh was only 10 years old when his parents died and he was forced into the adult world. Although his maternal uncle took him in, Rajesh was made to pay for his own upkeep - meaning he had to leave school and find employment.
First, he worked in a tailor's shop in his native city of Ooty, located near India's southern tip. However, surviving on his wage of 20 Rupees a day (roughly 20p) proved too difficult, so Rajesh moved to Mysore to improve his prospects. His job in a service station earned him no more than he had brought home in Ooty, but since board and lodging were provided, he was able to put away some savings.
All the while, Rajesh hoped to return to school. Yet it was only when a DFID-supported programme stepped in that he was rescued from low-paid employment. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) - "Education for All" - has ensured that Rajesh and hundreds of other children employed in factories, hotels, railway stations and other common places can get back into the classroom.
A more secure life
Through SSA, Rajesh was provided with good food, clean clothes and a bed to sleep in. Enjoying an increased sense of security, he passed through Mysore's Srikanteshwara Child Labour School with ease, taking his leaving certificate with him.
After completing the eight-month back-to-school course he is currently enrolled on, Rajesh will be on a par, academically, with other children of his age. His hope is that he will then be mainstreamed into a regular school.
Last year, nine girls and 18 boys completed the same course and are now in school. Alongside Rajesh this year are three girls and 58 boys. Each of these children has overcome considerable challenges to find themselves where they are now - on course to receive the education that all children, wherever they are born in the world, are entitled to.
Towards prosperity
Rajesh's coursemate Chamlandi was abandoned by his parents and made to pay a debt they had taken out with a local businessman, a gym owner. For three years, the boy worked in the gym, virtually a bonded labourer. A labour inspector who came to his place of work saw Chamlandi and rescued him. At 14, the boy's life is looking up again.
Bhagyalakshmi, 9, Kavya, 11 and Shanta Kumari, 12, are also on the course with Rajesh and Chamlandi. For as long as any of them can remember they have been working at the Yellamma Agarbati factory in Mysore, rolling the incense sticks that the factory turns out. Paid Rs 10 for every 1,000 sticks, Shanta found herself rolling around four times that amount each day to earn a decent amount of money.
However, all three are now on their way back into education. Thanks to SSA they are looking forward to joining a mainstream school in the near future - and leading more prosperous and fulfilling lives as a result.
Facts and stats
- The Indian government spent 140 billion Rupees on SSA in 2006-7.
- Between 2003 and 2006, there was an increase in enrolments of over 27 million children.
- Almost all of India’s children (98%) now have a primary school within 1 kilometre of their home.
- India’s pupil-per-teacher ratio fell from 41 in 2004 to 40 (the SSA norm) in 2006.
- The number of out-of-school children fell from 25 million in 2003 to 7 million in 2007.
- DFID will spend £825 million in India over the next three years, with £150 million earmarked for Education for All.