Everyday India’s Instagram Collective Tells Stories Of India’s Children Going To School

“You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get your degree. Because that’s the one thing people can’t take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment,” said Michelle Obama, resonating with children and parents, as they make their way to school in the new year. 

Down the hill and across sprawling tea estates, under a tree shed and in dilapidated classrooms, in conflict regions and along the riverside, children go to great lengths to make it to school… only to be able to wear new uniforms, buy new books and school supplies, meet their friends and teachers, play at recess time, study their favourite subject, and head back home after a fulfilling day of learning at school.

Everyday India, a collective of storytellers chronicling the everyday lives of people across India, narrate stories of children going to school, providing a compelling chronicle on why education matters. 

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Photo by @arjunchhabra for #EverydayIndia School children play at a pandal being constructed on the occasion of Durga Puja in #Ranchi, #Jharkhand, #India. The annual Hindu festival of Durga Puja is observed with much fanfare for five days in Bengal and Eastern India. The idol of Goddess Durga is worshipped during the festivities and traditionally the process of idol making commences during Rath Yatra (during July/August). By Shashti, the sixth day of the festival, the idols are transported by the artisans to various destinations where they are mounted on a podium inside a pandal (a temporary marquee) where the goddess is worshipped for five days. #EverydayEverywhere #DailyLife #Photojournalism #ReportageSpotlight #Instagram

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Photo by @nishallama Photo of a school going boy in a Government run Tea Garden in Assam. He is among the dwindling few who travels long distances to attend High School. According to the Law, there is provision for only Primary School, till the 5th Grade in Tea Gardens. However, for someone willing to pursue anything higher, they have to travel long distances, which for some can be as far as 10-15 kilometers, or even more. Hence, there is a huge drop out rate amongst students from these Tea Gardens. The connectivity in these places is deplorable, and the Tea Gardens don’t provide transportation. In many cases, Teachers in the Primary level, too, are not well trained. So students bear the burnt as they are often ill equipped to deal with the high school curriculum. #everydayindia #teagardens #assam #dailylifeindia #everydayeverywhere #india #education #tea #documentaryphotography

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Parents and siblings wait outside an ‘Anganwadi’ centre in Samastipur, Bihar. An Anganwadi is a type of rural mother and child care centre started by the Indian government in 1985 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program to combat child hunger and malnutrition. A typical Anganwadi centre provides basic health care along with pre-school activities in Indian villages. The responsibilities of Anganwadi workers are extremely significant. From providing pre-school education to ensuring antenatal and postnatal care for pregnant women to supervising the distribution of supplement nutrition and administering immunisation to children under 6. As I see it, Anganwadi workers receive a salary of INR 3,000 per month (USD 45) which they receive every couple of months. On the other hand the assistant staff to the Anganwadi workers receive a monthly salary of INR 1,500 per month (USD 22) which they have not received in over 9 months in the area. The irregular income flow is not just demoralising but also affects their livelihood. Anganwadi workers don’t just work tirelessly to ensure village children come to their centres, they go door to door to check on health and well being of new born and their mothers, they immunise, they feed and provide almost any possible care in their reach. In addition, the assistant staff cook midday meals, clean, wash up after the children, and often bring them from their homes to the centre. Certain months, the Anganwadi centres do not receive funds from the government to provide midday meals to the children. Midday meals are perhaps the biggest motivator for parents to send their children to the Anganwadi centre as one nutritious meal taken care of lessens the burden on them. Photo by: @mansimidha #nofilter #onassignment #realitycheck #ruralindia #indiangovernment #india #governmentofindia #igasia #igindia #igtravel #anganwadi #education #everydayeverywhere #bihar #everydayindia #dailylifeindia #instagram #instapic #instagramhub #classroom #reportagespotlight #iphone #mansimidha

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The Rural Life. A group of Girl friends walk home together after School in the evening.With Heavy monsoon rains causing water in river Ganga to swell many parts of the Diara region is flooded.The swollen river water has displaced many in the villages.The continuous rise in the water level has forced the locals to pack their belongings and move to higher safer places.Wooden boats start appearing on the roadside parked near dry land.The only way to travel is through boats to reach the villages on the Ganga belt. Photo By: Chetan Kumar/ @chetankumarstudio #Asia #India #Bihar #Biharodyssey #storyteller #Documentary #photojournalism #dailylife #reportage #Reportagespotlight #everydayasia #iphoneography #everydayindia #ganga #river #flood #girls #school #education #climate #monsoon #enviroment

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Do you have photos of children going to school? Tag us at #everydaychildhood, we’d love to feature your stories. 

 

Photo Credits : Indraneel Chowdhary

Words By : Leher

Leher

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