Five Reasons Why You Should Invest in Education

‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest’ – these wise words of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of The United States of America, are timelessly true. Education is the most important tool for the pursuit of knowledge. School education in particular, is of paramount importance in shaping young hearts and minds and securing a bright future for them. Keeping the flame of education alive, though, needs collective effort and significant investment. One way to invest in education is to donate to charity, towards organisations that work towards it. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO that supports the cause of ‘food for education’, serving nutritious mid-day meals to over 1.6 million children across India, strives to keep the light of education burning in the lives of its school children.

Why, you ask, is investment in education so important? Here are five reasons for it:

To secure the future of children

Children are the future and they deserve a tomorrow that comes with financial, physical and emotional security. Education is a means towards this end. It boosts future prospects, encourages their dreams and empowers them to pursue them. Without it, job security and quality employment are difficult to come by and the scope for advancement is limited.

Education breeds gender equality

The world and all the wonderful opportunities it presents, is for both, men and women to inherit. Education plays an important part in freeing people from the shackles of restrictive, outdated mindsets. As the popular saying goes, ‘if you educate a girl, you educate the entire family’. Well-educated adults, thus, challenge traditional gender roles and help create a fairer, more gender-equal world.

A tool for nation-building

If a nation has to progress – economically and socially – education is the first necessity that needs to be met. A well-qualified workforce is a formidable asset that attracts and multiplies investment in the country, leading to more jobs, higher incomes, better standards of living and greater prosperity for the nation. It also leads to a rise in a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A sense of pride develops among citizens when a nation progresses impressively and provides them with great motivation to strive for its further development.

Leads to a healthier population

Education brings knowledge of health and hygiene. Healthy practices in daily life are adopted by well-educated people, since they are made aware and convinced of the rationale behind them. Be it everyday practices, issues related to maternal and child health, or general awareness about steps to take to ensure a healthier future – education is greatly instrumental in teaching people about the same.

It gives back to the giver

Donating to charity benefits the donor as well – it avails them income tax exemption. Under sections 35AC and 80GGA of the Income Tax Act 1961, every donation upwards of Rs 500 made to a registered non-profit organisation, is eligible for 100% tax exemption. Isn’t it wonderful, the fact that investing in education avails tax benefits for the one making the donation?

Education, thus, is the need of the hour and Akshaya Patra is striving hard to ensure that no child is deprived of it due to hunger. So, make the decision to the cause of ‘unlimited food for education’ and make a donation towards it now.

This Summer, Connect with Children and Gift Them a New Academic Year!

When you were in school, how did your summer vacation begin? It would probably begin with you saying goodbye to your friends and classmates but with an expectation that you would see them again. The holidays are fun and exciting but it is also nerve-racking to go back to school for the next level. While this is the norm, there are many children in India who do not get the opportunity to return to school. In other words, they drop out of school due to economic instability.

What causes children to drop out of school?

In this article, we have highlighted two issues (among many factors) that cause a child to drop out of school. While majority of children drop out due to migration, there are children who drop out of school due to financial difficulties in the family. 

(i) Migration: Also means relocation. For example, if and when the family moves to a different city or town on work prospects, they get their child enrolled in a school. After the work contract is complete, the family may decide to move to another town in search of income. This directly affects the child who is (not in all cases) forced to drop out of school before completing the academic year. In another scenario, although the child has completed the academic year, he or she does not get the opportunity to return to the same school. 

(ii) Financial Security: One of the main reasons for a child to drop out of school is because they would like to look out for other prospects; prospects that can help their family financially. School lunch programme has proved to stabilize these families as one meal is guaranteed for the child. Mid-day meal encourages children to continue education while their one square meal is taken care of.

These issues can affect children during the learning phase and in the future. According to MHRD report for 2014-15, the dropout rate for primary level was 4.34 per cent. Although there has been a drastic decrease in drop out and increase in enrolment rate, we need to change the situation for 4.34 per cent of children. To resolve these issues, the government has brought into effect several schemes and one of them is Mid-Day Meal Programme. Working along with government, Akshaya Patra’s Food for Education initiative has been reaching out to millions of school children every day. This NGO in Karnataka began its mid-day meal operations in Bengaluru in the year 2000. In 2016, the Foundation completed the serving of 2 Billion mid-day meals and this milestone was acknowledged by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. 

You can show your support by donating to charity and sponsoring a child for a year! By contributing to Akshaya Patra, you will also receive 100% income tax exemption.

Support a Child and Avail 100% Income Tax Exemption

We’ve all been hungry before, but very few of us have had to go days between eating a complete meal. Millions of children across India experience debilitating hunger every day, and are forced to focus all their energy on simply earning enough money for a single meal. In a situation like this, children cannot even consider getting educated or enjoying their lives in any way.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a top NGO in India, has been trying hard since the year 2000 to ensure that no child in India misses an opportunity to attend school due to hunger.  The freshly cooked nutritious meals served by the NGO have helped bring over a million children back to school. Today, over 1.4 million children in 10 states in India receive mid-day meals from Akshaya Patra. Apart from improving children’s nutritional status, the mid-day meals have helped improve school enrolment, classroom attendance, concentration levels and performance.

The credit for the children’s improved nutrition and education goes primarily to people who make the charitable trust donation. In return, Akshaya Patra also gives some benefits to its well-wishers. A charitable trust donation of ₹500 or above, made to support Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme gets you a 100% income tax exemption in India under Section 35 AC or 50% under section 80G of the Income Tax act.  Within 10 days of making the donation, the donor will receive an income tax exemption certificate from Akshaya Patra.

As a next step, the organisation wants to feed 5 million children by 2020 and you can help it reach its goal. Support the programme generously with charitable trust donation and fulfil children’s dreams.