It's 8:30 in the morning and the children are off to the local schools. The boys warden doubles as the bus driver, making two round trips twice a day. One trip for the older kids and the other for the youngsters. They'll return to the illam around 4:30 in the afternoon.
In recent years India's education policies on providing quality education for all is regarded as a major contributing factor to the country's economic development. One of the prominent policies that was the catalyst for change was that of the rights of all children between the ages of 6-14, to free and compulsory education.
However, the country still lags behind other developing countries such as China and Brazil in the numbers who then go on to higher education. There are multiple and complex issues involved, poverty being one of the contributors.
The children at the Illam are some of the lucky ones that are assisted out of the poverty trap. Supported and guided from primary to higher education and then into jobs.
