India is a country with more than a billion people, but only a third of them can read. Whether it’s the shortage of teachers, books, and basic facilities, or insufficient public funds to cover education costs, the country is facing tough challenges in promoting literacy.
But far from the Parliament, in a tiny slum in Bhopal, one 9-year-old girl is going against all odds to provide education to the other children in her slum. Meet Muskaan Ahirwar, the proud founder of Bal Pustakalaya, a library she runs after school every day, with books provided by the Rajya Shiksha Kendra MP.
Started on January 26, 2016, the library was set up after a team from the State Education Board visited this slum in December 2015. Upon questioning the children of the neighbourhood about their views on education, they were particularly impressed by Muskaan’s knowledge and passion to learn more. And so, the team handed her the responsibility of educating other children in the slum and gave her 120 books to begin with.
Today, Muskaan acts as a teacher to around 50 slum children. She sets up her library outside her house on a mat, and slum students surround her to listen to stories, learn and read together. Muskaan conducts discussion sessions based on the books they read, as well.
“In today’s world, education is important and so books are important. Education has a great role to play in our lives. When small children read, enjoy and laugh, I feel very happy. 20-25 children come to my library every day,” she states.
Clearly a firm believer in Nelson Mandela’s quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Muskaan is doing her little part in trying to widen the horizons of those around her; the rest of the county would certainly do well with taking a leaf out of her book.
Featured image source: The Ideal Indian
Written by Priya Unni
