Statistics of Education in India

Though the number of literate people in India has increased over the years, she still has the largest number of uneducated children in the world - two-thirds of whom are girls.

Take a moment to read these statistics...

• 50% of Indian children aged 6-18 years do not go to school.
• 59 million children between 6-14 years do not attend school.
• In India, only 53% of habitation has a primary school.
• Only 62% of children reach grade five in their education.
• Only a little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight.
• 42% of girls who join school drop out before completing the primary cycle.
• A girl child spends an appalling 1.2 years in school on an average.
• More than sixty years into Independence, India's 6.3 crore children are still out of school.
• A National Campaign for Primary Education throughout South Asia costs at a mere $3 billion a year. South Asia spends more $15 billion on defense in one year.
• More than 50% of India's children are malnourished.
• 70 of every 1,000 children born in India, do not see their first birthday.

Education has become a privilege rather than a basic right to the children of India. And for most, attending school is only when there is no work. As a result for most Indian children education is neither consistent nor secure. Typically, also most parents see children as an extra pair of hands with earning power. Add to this, the patriarchal social belief, which places more value on the male child, so, if a family does have enough money for educating its children, available funds will be allotted to the male children to go to school first. The female children, instead, will be expected to stay home and help with household chores and with raising their siblings.

Once girls reach age nine, their parents see them as economic resources and send them to work for wages either in or out of the home. Research shows that the higher the literacy rates, the lower the incidence of child labor. Children of higher castes are more educated because they do not need to work to help support their families. Since male children are granted the opportunity of an education more often than females, they have a greater opportunity to act independently of social constraints in their lives.

All this for a country which has made education for children in the age group 6-14 years a fundamental right?

But... there's hope. And that hope is YOU. Yes, you can make a difference to the lives of children across India, and it's not that difficult. All you have to do is to keep aside a paltry 2% of your annual income and donate to this noble cause. The BONUS is that it is TAX-FREE.

Your help will go a long way in providing educational opportunities for children who would otherwise be left behind.

Padmashali Seva Sangha's Mission is to cultivate a strong giving culture amongst Indians to donate 2 percent of their income every year to give the under-privileged children a decent education.