Most slum children go to schools where teaching standards are low and classrooms are seriously under-equipped. Often, they tell us that their classrooms may have a computer in them, but they are never allowed to touch it. Children are taught in Hindi, with English lessons perhaps once or twice a week - never often enough to gain the standard of English that could lead to good job opportunities. For older children, vital textbooks are absent, and their parents can't afford to buy them.
As slum children grow up, parental pressure to leave school and start work increases, and the vast majority of young people leave school by the age of 16. Among slum residents, the most common belief about higher education - or even completing school -is that it's a waste of time and money.
It's easy to understand how a child who has grown up in a slum may not even consider the prospect of university. It is not just the limitations of their government schooling, or lack of money for textbooks and admission fees. Their feelings of inadequacy, fear of mixing with their privileged middle-class counterparts, and lack of encouragement from parents and community all contribute to keeping them away.
Children in Asha slums grow up aware of their right to an education. We help them get admitted to schools, and we explain to their parents why education is worthwhile. Older children from each slum area help the younger ones to understand their rights, and set examples that they are keen to follow.
Asha provides resource centres where slum children have much-needed opportunities to play, read and learn. All centres have computers and broadband internet, and children are encouraged to take a course in basic computer literacy. English classes - taught by permanent local teachers and sometimes enthusiastic visiting volunteers - help children grow in confidence and develop skills that narrow the gulf between them and better-off youngsters.
Public meetings, training sessions and visits by staff and community volunteers create community-wide awareness of the benefits of education. We hold workshops for young people in their final years of school and help them to understand their options. Family pressure to leave school is a significant obstacle for many children, so Asha staff and volunteers are skilled at explaining the advantages of further education to parents and other family members.
No amount of excellent exam results or enthusiasm can help children whose parents are unable to pay for their college education. Needs-based scholarships are not available, so we grant scholarships to the prospective students who need them most. Tuition fees, clothing, travel expenses and other costs are no longer a worry for such students, and we make sure that low-interest educational loans are available to others.
Now you know how we make it possible, why not donate to give a young person a brighter future?
Girls don't get the same opportunities in school as boys - we are hardly allowed to touch the computers - but thanks to Asha I get the chance to use computers too and have learnt a lot.
Rajnandin, Ekta Vihar
