NISHTHA Programme is one of the significant programmes that us aimed at changing the education scenario of our country. Who are the beneficiaries of the scheme?

India, one of the largest democracies of the world, is trying to live up to its promise of delivering justice, liberty, equality and fraternity to its citizens. The Right to Education Act, __________ completed its decadal anniversary recently. Rooted in the principle of equality and non-discrimination, the landmark RTE Act went on to make education a fundamental right by ensuring free and compulsory schooling for children from the age of __________. I recently conducted a survey among women-headed households and primary school teachers based out of rural Lucknow to understand the demand and supply of education. The findings are quite illustrative. Each of the 60 women-headed households that I studied was of the opinion that seeking education is important to bring about inter-generational shifts. The primary driving force was to make their children — especially daughters — independent so that they did not share the same ‘fate’ as them. Most of them tried to meet the educational requirements in spite of their minimal resources. However, their experience of government-run schools was not positive: they were quite vocal about the lack of a competitive environment, basic amenities and quality education. There were some participants who said that daughters should be married off early so that their future could be secured. These participants lack economic and socio-cultural capital. They were driven by the deep-rooted belief of controlling and protecting women and girls. Further enquiries revealed that the absence of the guarantee of a job immediately after the completion of school made education a less lucrative investment. Conversely, marriage was seen to hold greater prospects in terms of social security.