Children in Majuli largely do not seek higher education opportunities because of the lack of quality educational spaces as well as the existing poverty. A majority of children are not aware of the ample educational opportunities available to them and only know of the BA degree. There are also fewer students within villages pursuing alternate degrees, as a result of which children in Majuli lack role models in education. Children are motivated to educate themselves in a social environment where they witness people around them excelling in education and making good careers out of their education.
To sum up, The low number of students in higher education from Majuli is due to three major factors:
- The lack of information and awareness on the available higher education opportunities
- The lack of expertise in hard skills like spoken English, computer skills
- The lack of economic capacity to pursue higher education as most students in Majuli belong to below-poverty-line families
As an outcome of the issue identified, there are many positions open in government offices, hospital spaces, etc which remain unoccupied by the local community because of the lack of qualified professionals.
In line with the constitutional belief that every child deserves a quality education, we believe that money should not be a factor in restricting children from pursuing the career of their choice. Ayang Trust has been working with several entities to address the issues identified. We have supported several students in receiving scholarships in partnerships with other organizations which include Sunbird Trust, and Softline Technologies amongst others.
MEET OUR STUDENTS!
“It was always my dream to study at IIT. I am still unable to believe that my dream has become a reality! I was studying in Ebion Public School, a school in Jengrai, Majuli. I come from the Lakhimpur district. My father is a cultivator who only had the chance to study till the 10th std. I had a lot of interest in technology. I do believe that technology is very important moving forward in this generation and there is no better place to learn about technology than IIT. I studied very hard, in difficult subjects and difficult conditions so that I could achieve my goal. Everyone has different ways of learning. I used to solve different problems and read the books of many scholars such as J.C Pandey. I gave the entrance exam and I ranked 700 in the ST category. I got accepted to IIT Roorkee and I am so happy and excited to start my journey in November!”
-Probin Pegu
Probin, a student from Lakhimpur has been sponsored by Sunbird Trust with support from Ayang Trust since 2019. We are so proud to share that he has been selected to study in IIT Roorkee. We are hopeful to see more students from Majuli and Lakhimpur follow his lead and pursue higher education and become role models for other children from similar backgrounds.
“I always enjoyed making things, playing with certain gadgets. Taking things that people believe are useless and converting them into something that can be used! Take this old plastic bottle for example. I added two switches and a bulb to convert it into a lamp. You can adjust the light with these switches. I also added two connection points, one is electric and one is solar. I have seen that in many villages, people have access to solar power so I designed it in such a manner so it can be used by everyone. I made the wire and the USB! When I was young, I once saw an electrician working with electricity in my village and it sparked my interest in this field. I learnt all that I could from the electrician. Now, I can also repair items like speakers and do welding jobs also! In my village, I actually used to be the one people would call to fix things. I also fixed the lighting in my school actually.
I have seen that electricity is very important for communities. My village is in Lakhimpur, most of the people there are farmers. There are beautiful fields across. There are many troubles in my village. There are floods, the roads are in very bad condition so you cannot travel, there is difficulty in accessing health services in the region, even for getting something as basic as vaccines you have to travel outside. I have been in Island College, Kamalabari for three months. I have chosen science stream. I want to study electrical engineering after 12th std”
-Biswajeet Doley