Winner Takes All: Adrish's Fight For Education
Schooling in India Is Complicated - Even More so for Families Living in Poverty
Winner Takes All: Adrish's Fight For Education
By Lindsey Quinn
"We were very worried about getting Adrish into school," Shanti confides. Like so many in Kolkata, India, she and her husband knew that navigating the lottery system to find their young son a decent and affordable school would be an uphill battle.
"At each school, there would be long, winding queues," Shanti recalls. "For 45-50 seats, the school was receiving some five to six hundred applications. Parents would push and shove others to get the forms first, and then they'd battle to be the first to submit them. People would come as early as 4 a.m., even when the school counters only opened at 10 a.m.!"
But – even after braving determined parents and endless lines – rejection after rejection came for Adrish. Hindu Boys' School? Declined. David Hare School? No. Sanskrit School? Nope.
"It was a pathetic situation," Shanti admits. "Each time the lottery results were drawn, I cried and was so upset, wondering what had happened and what would happen to my son. I was worried about his future."
