Celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights
24 October 2008
Image
courtesy of Paul Smith/Panos Pictures
On Tuesday 28 October, Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is observed across India, not only by Hindus but by many other religious communities, including Sikhs and Jains.
The festival is marked by the lighting of candles and 'diyas'
(earthen lamps), celebrating the victory of light over darkness, good over
evil, knowledge over ignorance.
With the triumph of knowledge over ignorance in mind, Diwali is a good time
to reflect on the importance of education for a country's development. In
particular, on the enormous campaign currently underway in India to bring
education to all the country’s children, a campaign which is backed by DFID.
Education for All
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Hindi for "Education for All") is the Government of India’s programme for providing free education for all Indian children aged 6 to 14. By supporting innovative ways of getting young people into school and providing the essential materials for a quality education, the programme has helped reduce the total number out of school by almost 18 million.
One of the major factors in the effectiveness of Education for All is its decentralised structure. Wherever possible, it operates through Village Education Committees, staffed by people who understand and can respond to local needs and environments. In this way the programme has delivered a wide range of services, including:
- new schools
- additional teachers
- additional classrooms
- toilets and clean water in schools
- free textbooks for all children.
Opportunities for India's poorest
Image courtesy of Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos Pictures
However, although almost 96% of India's 6 to 14 year olds are now enrolled in school, around 7 million children remain outside the education system.
Those still not in class are often from the country's most disadvantaged groups – for example, girls, members of the poorest castes and tribes, and Muslims from the Hindi belt in the north and east. Education for All continues to work to give these children the opportunities they deserve.
- Find out how Education for All helped 10 year old Rajesh out of child-labour and into school.
- Read how the programme is keeping the poorest children in education - through school dinners for everyone.
More stories from Education for All - covering issues like disability, the challenges of getting more girls into school, and the role of parents - are featured in the DFID publication Getting all the Children into School
(3806kb).
DFID: Committed to education in India
In January 2008, on a visit to India, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced
that DFID will spend £825 million in the country over the next three years, £500
million of which will be devoted to health and education, with some £150 million
earmarked for Education for All.
The money will train 300,000 more teachers and build
300,000 more classrooms, benefiting 4 million children by 2011. DFID has also committed £35 million in support of
a Government initiative to help women and girls in
rural areas overcome discrimination and access educational opportunities.
Through this initiative over 7 million adolescent girls and women will learn to
read and write.
In its support for education in India, DFID is helping the country's poorest people to acquire the knowledge that can help them work their way out of poverty and set themselves on course for a much brighter future.
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