NEELU COULD EASILY belt out multiplication tables up to 26 when she was in class three. She had almost learned division, too. She was capable of reading and writing basic Hindi sentences and could also comprehend some English words. That was two years ago.
Now, Neelu, 10, a dalit girl from Nagla Shyam village, Bharatpur district, Rajasthan, is in class five. But, she can only recite tables up to nine. She can barely manage addition, and reads Hindi sentences with difficulty. Aman, her classmate, is even worse off—he only remembers tables up to eight and has completely forgotten how to read. “Neelu's and almost all her schoolmates' learning levels have reverted by four-five years during the past two years as lockdowns distanced them from education,” Suresh Sharma, principal, Nagla Shyam Primary School told THE WEEK.
About 750km away, in tribal-dominated Nogawa, Meghnagar block, Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh, Nisha Dewal, 11, who was a class four student in 2019-2020, did not rejoin her school when it reopened in September 2021. She has forgotten everything she learned and her parents—both daily wage labourers—are unable to focus on her education as they struggle to care for their six children.
Siraj, 12, of Ghazipur settlement in East Delhi, dropped out of school during the lockdown because of the lack of access to online classes and the family income dwindling; his family is dependent on waste picking. He was found picking waste by volunteers of the Association for Social Justice and Research and was convinced to take classes at its child activity centre (CAC). But, Siraj remains out of school and continues to pick waste to support his family.
Denne historien er fra January 23, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 23, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
