THE CAUSE

Assam has about 90 lakh children between ages 5 to 16 years. The education of these children is important for building a better future for our State and Society. However, there are still many roadblocks on this path.

One such issue is the School Drop Out Rate, which is quite high in Assam. As per data provided in the Parliament on August 2021, Assam has a dropout rate of 4.3% in primary level; 3.4% in upper primary level and 32.3% in secondary level. These are higher than the national figures of 1.5% in primary level; 2.6% in upper primary level and 16.1% in secondary level.

One of main reasons for dropping out of school is poverty/poor financial condition - the children are not able to afford fees, books, study materials, etc.

Also, with online education slowly becoming a norm, Assam too has been lagging behind in this area. According to a report prepared by the Union Ministry of Education, titled, “Initiatives by the School Education Sector in 2020-21”, Assam has 31 lakh students with no digital devices, out of 70 lakh students across 65,907 schools (i.e. 44.2% students have no digital devices in Assam).

Looking at these, the Sabal Bharat Foundation is setting up a fund through which we can help the children in need by supporting their educational expenses.

The contribution made to this fund, called “THE HELPING HAND FUND”, would be used exclusively for helping the underprivileged children.

The Fund would cover the following:

• Sponsoring Education of Students

• Scholarships

• Books & Stationery

• Admission/Exam Fees

• Entrance Exam Fees

• Digital Devices (Smart phones, Tablets, Laptops)

• Any other educational expenses