SCHOOLING IN INDIA

Let us look into a class room somewhere on India‘s huge plains. Immediately we see that things are a little bit different from British class rooms. Yes, the black board, the teacher, and the desks are the same. Even the school uniforms remind us of England. 
All the students stand beside their desks. In a loud voice they recite a pledge. 
‘India is my country. 
All Indians are my brothers and sisters. 
I love my country and am proud of its rich and varied heritage. 
I shall always strive to be worthy of it. 
I shall give respect to my parents, teachers and elders and treat everyone with courtesy. 
To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. 
In their well being and prosperity alone lies my happiness. 
Jai Hind!’ (Long Live India!)
Now all the students sit down, and the lesson begins. 
The doors and windows are open wide because of the heat, and the ceiling fan is whirring at top speed. Birds fly into the class room, and the teacher has to speak up above the sound of noisy crows and honking horns. 
But then also you notice…this class is BIG! We count over 60 children; all crammed into the class room, neatly sitting at twin desks. We see more boys than girls…a lot more boys. For every ten boys there are only seven girls in class. 
Why are there more boys than girls in school? Many parents keep the girls at home because there is not enough money to buy books and pay for school for the whole family. Many daughters help with the cooking and take care of the little one. Sadly, half of the India's girls can not read or write. But only 1 out of 4 boys has this problem. 

More Indian children are going to school these days. This is very necessary. Without education, these children can never get a good job when they grow up. 

TWO KINDS OF SCHOOLS

As in Britain, there 2 kinds of schools in India: 
1 government schools (public schools). 
2 private schools. 
The Indian government schools experience several problems. 
-There are not enough teachers in the government schools. So the school classes get very large. It is difficult for one teacher to teach 50-75 children. 
-More money is needed to make the government schools better. Only half of them have a working toilet, and many of the schools have no drinking water in the building. 
-The teachers get paid very little; and when the teacher is not happy; the class is not happy!

Many parents in India want to send their children to a private school. 
Private schools are better, but expensive. Some mothers take an extra job to earn more money. With that money they can pay for a private school for their child. 

Today 65% of Indians can read and write.
Only 7 out of 10 children in India are attending school. 
What do the children do that don't go to school? They work or help out at home.