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Registration day at Lotus Petal - A perspective



As I mentioned in my original appeal, one sight every year at Lotus Petal Campus is dejected faces of parents and kids alike who can't make it to that school year.   


Smaller kids lining up & appearing for their test.
Students appearing for entrance exam
You can see from some pictures from registration day - there are long queues first thing in the morning, each student is given an ID card, and he/she appears for a test, a few make it to final list.


What gets me every time I look at these pictures are choices these parents are making.  


Ready with ID cards
People crowding around the school
Shall I get my kid to help me with my day labor (for that extra cash), or do I let him/her be in a school where a better future awaits (at the loss of temporary income).   

People and children lining up to collect forms

While the school jerseys are great equalizer, come evening these kids will be either back in their 10x10 cramped kholis or some perhaps further helping their parents while there is enough light left in the day (helping with ironing of clothes, delivering ironed clothes to houses, doing people’s laundry, construction work at malls and residential sites, managing tea stalls, etc.)



Queues to fill registration form
Laws of demand and supply kick in and despite the best of intentions, there are only a few that can make it to next school year.

Here's some data to digest:
    • We had 300 students sit for the entrance of Vidyananda School and we had only 17 seats.   Thats 1 of 17 kids that got a chance!
      Students appearing for entrance exam
    • Total applicants (both schools combined) were almost 800 & we were only able to give admission to 145 children (6 kids that didn't make it into school for every 1 that did).

Hence the 100for100 mission for 2018. 

Hopefully, this attempt will reduce the number of kids who return home dejected, come registration day.   

Here's to more kids who get to have a hand on a book, a story to hear, an idea to make into a reality,  a mentor, experience the wonderful world of history, arts, literature, mathematics and science that you and I were privileged with.

Please donate generously.

God bless you,
Arun
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