Every child must go to school regularly and learn well

Farida Lambay, Pratham’s founder-director, envisages the spread of universal education in slums and shanties in India. It’s about 11:00 in the afternoon, and kids are streaming into the Malad centre of Pratham, located within a municipal school. There is eight-year-old Akash, who can’t understand why he needs to sit in a corner, when he has the entire centre to run across. “Tai, can I play?” he frets, looking up at the cream sari-clad harried matron, trying to keep the kids in control. There is seven-year-old Durga, poring over her black slate, attempting to decipher the letters that her teacher has taught her the day before. Chaos reigns as kids cry, laugh, study, do their homework and chat. Like any normal children would do on any given day in any ordinary school. Except, some of these children could not spell the word ‘school’ till last year, and a lot of them are still struggling to catch on, but enjoying the experience immensely.