EKTA and her Proud Father

Ekta is an eight year old girl studying in class 2 at Satya Bharti Government Primary School, Madhosinghpura. She is the youngest of three girls. Her father is a labourer and her mother is a housewife. Ekta’s father regretting not having a son and neglected his daughters. Recently, during a public event, Ekta was praised for coming first in an exam and for her all-round performance throughout the year. This recognition changed the rigid mindset of her father who said, “I believe now that I don’t need a son. My daughter is better than what a son would have been. She makes me proud. I am very satisfied with the education being delivered here. I feel very happy when my daughter speaks in English. She has also learnt a lot of poems and is also achieving good academic results at school.”

The Satya Bharti Schools often throw up small yet significant instances of community support that would perhaps otherwise not be so clearly demonstrated. During a survey conducted by the Satya Bharti School teachers in Nogawan village in Jhajjar, Haryana, they learnt that transportation posed a major problem for students travelling to the school from the nearby villages of Rudiawas and Neemli. To resolve this problem a meeting was called with the community members to discuss the alternatives. At this meeting Mr. Chand Singh, a parent of a student, volunteered to purchase a small vehicle to transport the students from these nearby villages. Inspired by his gesture of doing something for the children from his meagre income, the other parents also agreed to provide support by paying Mr. Singh Rs 200 per child per month towards fuel expenses. As a result of this effort, there was also a 40% increase in enrolment at the school.