Night schools give a chance to those with few options left. Rekha Chaure from Poona Night School works a full-time job and is a mother of two. Having left education early in her life, she felt the need to complete her education and hence, this year she appeared for the SSC board examination 2017 and was successful with a wonderful 72% as her result.
According to a UNESCO report, about 47 million youth drops out of schools by 10th standard. Much of these dropouts feel the need to return to school to complete education but because they become busy earning a living, they can’t spare time during the day. Night schools are a blessing to them. Night schools are generally operated by community groups and religious groups and generally hold classes in the classrooms of day-schools six nights a week.
Night schools also give the idle youngsters from slums something productive to do in the night time. Otherwise, they would be more vulnerable to slipping away into drugs, drinking and other malpractices.
Night schools have an undeniable importance in the structure of a nation and yet, in India, they are funded poorly. The government only pays for the salary of teachers and not for the equipment or any other requirement. So, despite their obvious need, the future of night schools appears doomed.
To turn the tables, there are many organizations that have surfaced and are working to fund these schools for proper functioning and also provide for better facilities. Masoom from Maharashtra is one such example.
But, over the span of time, some state governments have also come to the aide of these schools, governments of Andhara Pradesh and Delhi to list some.
Night schools are the ray of hope for people like Rekha and hence, no matter how dim the future seems, night schools must not fail to survive.