In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic took firm hold, government-mandated lockdowns led to a blanket closure of schools and colleges—staying safe by staying home being the need of the hour. Amongst the many groups adversely affected by this policy—and extraordinarily so—were children, particularly girls in rural India, for whom the chance to be educated was the result of hard-won battles against gender discrimination and social pressures to conform to traditional roles earmarked for women.
“I convinced my parents not to discontinue my classes. They supported me fully and even begun enquiring about where I should go for my next level of education. The closure of schools has changed this situation completely,” says Sandhya from Nuthankal, a small village in Telangana, who had reached the 10th grade at her local school. She has now begun farm work since further learning is no longer an option. In the nearby village of Kandagatla, Lakshmi, an 11th grader, remembers fighting with her parents for permission to commute to the nearest high school eight kms away, assuring them that she could take care of herself and her safety. Before the lockdown, parents of these children had stopped pressuring daughters to get married, hopeful that a better future might be in store.
Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
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Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
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A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
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British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
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The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
