I think it's safe to say that many of us have noticed a lot of differences between life in the U.S. as compared with life in India.
One thing that remains the same, however, is the emphasis on education. While many students in the U.S. go to public schools, this is not the case in India. Most families choose to send their children to private schools, for fear that the government schools (what we would consider public schools) aren't giving their children a proper education.
One organization that is trying to remedy this problem is Sikshana, which aims to improve learning levels in the government schools in rural and semi-urban areas.
A group of us visited one of these government schools today and were able to interact with some great kids while also learning about the Indian education system.
After lunch, we went to a classroom with all the students and were able to answer some of their questions about the U.S. They ranged from basic questions about U.S. history (which we had to think hard about to remember) to deeper questions about the impact of 9/11 on the U.S and the differences between the Bush and Obama administrations.
Then came time for the talent show! Some of the students had prepared a few dances and songs for us, and we had to reciprocate with some songs and dances of our own. However, "Hakuna Matata" and the "Macarena" can't even compare with what the students performed.
Sikshana is making great strides with these government schools, and it's readily apparent in the behavior and success of their students. All in all, visiting the school was extremely rewarding, and it was great to see so many young students getting excited about their education.
