Education is a pillar on which a Nation Stands. It is the foundation of the cultural, sentimental and overall development and perception of an individual. Literacy and education play an important role in human development and in the development of the society as a whole.

Madhya Pradesh is often known as the “Heart of India” , hence the state has remained in a focus since a long time. If a state does not have good literacy and educational rates and scope, the state cannot develop at the pace in which it should be developing.

As per the census 2011, the total literacy rate in rural areas of M.P. were 65.3% whereas a rate of 84.1% was seen in the urban areas of the state. The total combined rate was 70.6%. In Census 2001, Madhya Pradesh stood 24th in India, with a total rate of 63.7% in literacy whereas in 2011,  it moved  to 28th position.

Even though, an increase was seen from year 2001 to 2011, still the rate at which the increase is taking place is very slow. The gap in literacy rates between female and males remained as 20.5% in 2011.

A state and then a nation can only develop when the children, without any gender-biasness are  promoted towards seeking education and more and more such programmes for education of children since the start are put forth. Children are the growing pillars on which a nation stands and hence, they must be put towards education rather than labour.

As per the stats, the number of enrolment of children in primary school, in 2014-15 was around 86.6 lakhs whereas, in the year 2015-16 it reduced to around 80.9 lakhs. Same was in middle school where the number of enrolment reduced from around 48 lakh to 46.86 lakh in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.

However, since then the rate of reduction in these figures has been reducing and the state has also opened number of colleges and schools which looks like a silver lining.

VSWS’s efforts towards promoting education:

• First things first, the underprivileged children must be taught the importance of education, hence, VSWS has been organising career guidance workshops for children, which benefits children in understanding what career shall they be opting for.
• VSWS aims at promoting children towards education by distributing items like stationary to them, which helps them as well as creates a zeal to study.
• Team Nanhi Udaan has also been working towards the admissions of children in both private and public schools. Our organisation has successfully got admissions to many underprivileged children.
• VSWS has also been arranging for the colleges and schools to visit our children, as well as we have been taking our children on visits with the motive of promoting and guiding the children towards a career path in their lives.
• We ourselves have been taking sessions with children to explain them the importance of education and a career and their rights for education.
• Children as well as their parents are given guidance to send their children to schools and let them receive education.
• VSWS has also been taking sessions with children on value education, life skills like personality development and English-speaking which helps in their overall growth

VSWS believes that education and literacy are the only way through which ill- practices of the society like, abuse and discrimination can be eliminated. An awareness must be spread that education is the centre of the life- sphere and hence, the children must be educated and not forced into labour or abused or exploited. No child must be deprived of its childhood by anyone. They must be educated, cherished and taken care of.