An Olympic medal is a dream-come-true for any sportsperson and also for their fellow countrymen. Thus, when India’s Ravi Dahiya won the silver for wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics, everyone was extremely proud of him. It is a source of great joy and pleasure for Smile Foundation that Olympian Ravi Dahiya is supporting our Shiksha Na Ruke campaign.
The 23-year-old wrestler is a source of inspiration for millions. The humble sportsperson, who is everyone’s favourite at the moment, will be visiting one of Smile Foundation’s Mission Education centres in a slum cluster in Delhi on 6 October. During this meet-and-greet session, he will interact with some beneficiaries of the Shiksha Na Ruke campaign. Meeting an Olympic medallist who is a household name is an unachievable desire for most people. However, Ravi Dahiya has set aside time for this cause—that each child has the right to continued education, even in the midst of the pandemic.
Children between the ages of 9 and 16 will get a chance to interact with Dahiya during this session. For these children from such an underprivileged background, meeting such an inspirational person can motivate them to a great extent. This can be the push they need to keep working hard and not give up, just like Ravi Dahiya.
He shares, “I also would like to encourage children to start playing a sport, which can help them make a name and strong future for themselves. I would urge people to come forward and help in every possible way so that each child can attend the classes and sturdy without much difficulty.”
Ravi Dahiya teams up with Shiksha Na Ruke to support children’s education
The COVID-19 pandemic has left over 24 million children globally at risk of dropping out of school. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020, the number of out-of-school children increased tremendously in 2020 as compared to 2018, especially in rural areas. Almost 5.3 per cent of rural children aged 6-10 years have not enrolled in school this year. In 2018, this number was 1.8 per cent. This is on account of various factors, which include financial constraints of parents and the digital divide between the urban and the rural.
Underprivileged children are still deprived of learning as they have no access to computers or smart phones. The pandemic has made their difficult journeys harder. For lakhs of such children, education has come to a halt. They can’t afford smartphones or Internet data packs.
Shiksha Na Ruke attempts to help these children continue their dream of getting an education.
Speaking on being associated with the campaign, Dahiya, said, “I am happy to team up with Smile Foundation for such a cause. I hope this campaign will help in increasing awareness about the problems faced by underprivileged children who lack facilities for online education. I also hope to motivate these children to face up to the challenges caused by the pandemic.
Key interventions under Shiksha Na Ruke
Tools for Education: Provision of smartphones and tablets for the deprived children
Alternate Learning Mediums: Curating educational content for radio, television, door to door visits
Teachers Training: Training teachers for the dynamic digital learning environment
Counseling for Parents: Regular counseling of parents to ensure the child’s participation
Ensuring mental well-being: Regular helpline services and one-on-one mentoring sessions for children to keep them engaged.
Ravi Dahiya supports Shiksha Na Ruke campaign. You can also donate now.
