When we talk about educating the underprivileged in a society, we see that the Government, both at the central and local level, is trying to upgrade and enhance the education facilities. In my opinion, the Government is doing its level best, and there are a lot of changes we have seen in the past years. But, the changes in mindset and the gap between “advanced” education and “local” education still exists. Advance education focuses on providing knowledge, as well as developing students’ skills.
Not all families can afford private education. Therefore, it is essential we fill up the gaps between privileged and underprivileged sections of society, and help those who cannot afford private education.
Changing Mindsets And Filling Gaps
Launched in the last week of June 2019, ‘Kiran: Route of Happiness‘ is an organisation which is filling these gaps in society. This student-driven organisation is not only focussed on education, but it also takes several initiatives to level up and enhance the skills of underprivileged students. Kids living in slum areas usually don’t have access to standard education, which often makes their lives difficult, as they grow. In these slum areas, ground-level education has always been a problem for these kids.
In my opinion, in some cases, the parents are oriented towards government facilities and mid-day meals, not towards the purpose of education. Education in those areas doesn’t focus on learning. The government education and welfare facilities may run smoothly with regards to the attendance score, but they are not sufficient in imparting quality education and skills. This may be one of the reasons that families visit schools to avail benefits and not for learning.
There is a change required in the mindsets of the people. The organisation mentioned above is working in the same direction; to change mindsets, as well as, make education interesting.
The Journey Of ‘Kiran: Route of Happiness’
Every action or initiative is attached to past experiences. Similarly, Kiran: Route of Happiness is also a result of past experiences, and the problems society has experienced. The founding members of the organisation had several thoughts and ideas to help children and serve society.
So, they joined several organisations involved in helping students and society. But, each organisation was working more on paper and less in reality. Every member here has a different experience of working in such organisations. This is why they all decided to build something of their own, and create an organisation which involves working on the ground level. This project is a culmination of several ideas, meetings and discussions.
What Problems Did Kiran Face?
The starting phase of every new plan or concept is often full of problems and troubles. The founding members also faced multiple problems while setting up this organisation.
- During the early phases, a lot of people joined with dedication but gave up in the middle. This created a problem, as the team size kept decreasing, and even though the workload was increasing. It became difficult for them to manage. This happens in every organisation or business. In the early phases, people show dedication, but when they come to work on the ground level, many of them give up and skip their roles. The same happened here.
- The mindset of society: The uneducated parents in the slum areas were not interested in sending their children to schools. The major problem with most of them was that they did not understand the importance of education. They simply wanted their children to grow up and do odd jobs, and earn, to make a living.
- The impact on people: Several people who wished their children to learn, were not ready to send their kids to an ‘outside’ organisation. The reason was bad past experiences. Earlier, organisations would come for a day, plan a gathering, click photos and leave after distributing small things to children. But, that didn’t eradicate problems, and this worried the parents. Hence, they did not hold a positive view on sending their children to outside organisations. The sad reality is that several organisations, who claim to serve society, are just involved in building their portfolio. It took a lot of time for Kiran to gain the trust of these parents and help them get over such experiences.
However, with patience and hard work, everything was settled, and the organisation started running smoothly and working on its core objectives.
The Founding Members Of Kiran: Route Of Happiness
The organisation holds 5 positions, and all the members currently working, were involved in the foundation of the organisation. The team includes:
-Founders: Kavya Lipi and Ravi Kant
–President: Anuj Singh
-Treasurer: Vivek Singh
-Secretary: Zoya Imam, Varsha
-Event Manager: Suhail, Vaishnavi and Kajal