Opinion | India Is Failing Its Young. But Happy Children's Day, I Guess

As the nation celebrates Children's Day, can we look a child in the eye and say: ‘Happy Children's Day'. Have we let the kids of our nation down.

The Union government had sanctioned an Eklavya school near 11-year-old Sulekha's home. Today, Sulekha is 16. The school in her neighbourhood is still not functional. This is true for two out of five schools sanctioned under the Eklavya Model Residential School scheme. Sulekha is forced to enrol in the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) located in an ‘educationally backward area'. Her favourite class isn't held because the teacher's position has not yet been filled by the administration that reports to the Union government. As of July 2024, there are over 4,000 teacher vacancies in KGBVs. The highest vacancies are in Uttar Pradesh. Even for subjects with assigned teachers, classes do not take place daily—teachers are frequently absent. It is common practice that even for a five-day week, teachers take an extra day off.

A Grim Childhood

Sulekha is in class 10 now. She struggles to read texts of what a student in class 2 should know. She is unable to solve maths problems that are from the class 3 level. One out of four rural youth, between the ages of 14 to 18, demonstrate a similar gap in learning. Research suggests that half the students in this age group are unable to solve arithmetic that is taught in class five.

To support her family, Sulekha has been forced to drop out of school. One in every five students is compelled to do so. As an alternative to school education, she then enrols herself in the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)—a “flagship” scheme by the Union government, launched to upskill youth in order to improve the employment opportunities available to them. Sulekha completes all the requirements of the programme. She is even awarded with a certificate. But nothing changes. Like half of the certificate holders, she finds no job.

Coping with all this pressure at a young age can be traumatic. On paper, teenagers with mental health issues can seek help through Manodarpan, a mental health support helpline launched by the Union government during the pandemic. A good idea but poorly implemented. Calls to the helpline (844 844 0632) almost always go unanswered. There are just 366 counsellors listed in Manodarpan's directory across the country. The District Mental Health Programme is no better. Just 1,178 psychiatrists and 513 trained psychologists in total.

Thousands Of Sulekhas

Sulekha's story is not a one-off. It is the story of hundreds of thousands of youngsters in India. Thirty-five students commit suicide every day (the actual numbers could be even higher).

Many such students depend on schemes like Samagra Shiksha, which provides for teacher salaries, fees for those enrolled under Right To Education, uniforms and school infrastructure. However, the funds under the scheme for states ruled by non-BJP parties like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal, and Delhi have either been stalled or denied. Why? Is it because they objected to a certain suffix in the name of the scheme? The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 advocates for an allocation of 6% of the GDP to education. Good intentions, but the reality is a mirage. In 2023-24, the Union allocated 0.44% of GDP to education. This was reduced to 0.37% in this year's Budget. Sorry Sulekha, we failed you.

Research credit: Dheemunt Jain

(Derek O'Brien, MP, leads the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author