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As a child, every time somebody asked you, “What do you want to become when you grow up?”, was your answer the same or did it keep changing with every growing phase? Even as adults, don’t we always aspire to achieve more and hence work towards moving up the career ladder? Well, the simple underlined meaning in both the situations is that - we all have dreams, we all have aspirations, and they are not bound by age, time or situations.

Such is the story of Yathish, a boy from a village near Tumkur, Karnataka. Yathish aspired to be an engineer and he was determined to achieve it. He worked hard and successfully completed his SSLC exam and a diploma course. His father was the only breadwinner of the family, but due to health concerns, eventually the family had to depend on the pension money he was getting from the Karnataka State Government. This posed a hurdle in Yathish’s further progress in education. It is then that he received support from Vidya Chetana, one of the reputed NGOs working for education that helps underprivileged students to complete their higher studies by connecting them to generous donors who sponsor for education. This enabled Yathish to continue his studies in mechanical engineering. He graduated from R.V. College, a top-ranking engineering college in Bangalore with 6.8 GPA and got a placement in DXA Technology.

Role of NGOs in education

NGOs are like bridges that connect the needy with benevolent donors and supporters. These organisations act as mediums through which we can channelise our efforts to uplift the society. Before we understand the role of education NGOs that help poor students, let’s quickly take a look at some facts.

-        Among the 42 listed categories of NGOs and VOs (Voluntary Organisations) in Darpan, the NGO portal of NITI Aayog, education is the most concentrated category.

-        Out of the total 1,52,979 NGOs and VOs listed in Darpan, the education sector has 88,516 NGOs & VOs, the highest among all categories.

While the mentioned numbers reflect the importance of education, it also shows the focus it is receiving as a cause. Though the core goal of all NGOs working for education is to make education accessible and available to all, they can be further divided into four categories based on their different roles, such as:

-        The kind of services they provide, i.e., infrastructure, teaching, advocacy, and resource development.

-        The gender they focus on, i.e., education for girls only, or for both girls and boys.

-        The category of education they support such as primary, secondary, degree, vocational courses etc.

-        The type of support they provide such as approaching donors to sponsor for education, free education, education with hostel facilities, etc.

Vidya Chetana’s role as an education NGO

Vidya Chetana is dedicated to support higher studies of underprivileged students. They provide scholarships to help poor students pursue PUC (10+2), Degree, Engineering, and Medical studies. By far, this NGO has supported the education of more than 5,000 aspiring students from socio-economically weaker sections.

Apart from the Scholarship Programme, Vidya Chetana also has various programmes aimed at providing overall development of their beneficiaries. These programmes include:

●      Career counselling

●      Mentorship programmes

●      Life skill sessions

●      21st-century skills sessions

●      Employability Readiness Programme

So, when a donor chooses to sponsor for education through Vidya Chetana, they actually entitle the beneficiary student to all these programmes. This allows the student to develop skills required in the real world.

Would you like to wave your magic wand?

It is a universally accepted fact that education is a potential solution for several socio-economic issues. Reason being this, various efforts are made at local, national, and global level to ensure education for all. Yet, fundraising is among the top five challenges faced by NGOs working for education. Lack of funds block these NGOs from making expansions to newer regions and age-groups. This is where your involvement and contribution can make a huge difference in changing the education landscape of India. So, do give it a thought, because your one action can practically lead a number of dreams to fruition by bridging the gap between aspiration and achievement.

Author Profile: 

Vidya Chetana Scholarship Programme is an initiative of Youth for Seva to support the higher education of socio-economically underprivileged students. Your support will help students wanting to pursue PUC (Intermediate), Degree, Engineering, and Medical Courses. Your contribution towards the Scholarship Programme will help students continue their education as well as qualify you to receive tax exemption on your donated amount (₹500 & above).