Q: How are you funded?

A: We are entirely self-financed. We probably are one of the only NGOs that does not solicit donations for our social work! The reason we do not accept external funding is simple--unfortunately, a cottage industry has cropped up surrounding the Right to Education: some unscrupulous people try collecting money from families, promising them admissions. Other well-connected "brokers" make deals with school administrators, promising to bring them candidates willing to pay off-the-book donations in exchange for a cut. The landscape is filled with such horror stories. To avoid any perception that we profit from the Right to Education quota, we do not accept funds. 

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We repeat: All services to families are free of cost: applying, tuition, everything. We do not generate any profits or revenue from our work, nor do we accept donations to pay for our programs. 

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Q: What are the backgrounds of parents you serve?

A: We only assist parents who meet the weaker and disadvantaged criteria: they must earn under 2 lakh annum, and they must also belong to a SC/ST/MBC/OBC/BC group. The most common occupation of families is a daily wage earner: painter, hired driver, construction worker, hotel sweeper, and auto drivers are the primary jobs cited by our applicants.

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Q: Why do you do this work?

A: We get this question often from parents. The answer is that I (co-founder, Catherine Reddy) believe strongly in academic integration. I attended a (free) US government school and received a quality education. In my classroom, I had students who later became Harvard-educated neurologists, world-class musicians, painters, electricians... a broad mix. We all started on equal footings and chose our life's trajectory, and our fate was not sealed by the economic class of our parents.

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Since coming to India, I realized economic mobility is only possible through education. Here, education is pay-what-you-can-afford: if you are poor, then subpar government schools are some of the only choices (though, it seems government schools may be getting better as well). If you are well-off, you can get quality education. In such a system, upward mobility is impossible. Mandating that quality private schools set aside some seats to disadvantaged families is not the perfect way to fix the problem, but it's a fantastic stepping stone. The Right to Education quota is, as I see it, one of the single most effective tools at elevating a child's potential to ultimately help them become more than their parents. Hopefully in time, government schools will acquire enough resources to outperform private schools. 

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Q: Why don't you support government schools instead?

A: The planning requirements are wholly different to do this: we'd have to work alongside the government, ensure the funds are utilized properly, assess how limited resources can benefit not just one classroom but all, ensure said donations are utilized (for example, donating computers is useless if teachers don't incorporate them), etc. Given these ample considerations, I do not have the skill sets or knowledge to support government schools as I do to run my own programs. I will admit, when private schools ask me this question (as they often do) I am always tempted to respond, "I don't know, why don't you go run a government school instead?"  

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Q: Are you a religious NGO?

A: No, we are not. We are not Christian, or Hindu, or Muslim, or atheist. We are non-denominational, and in our tuition center we do not profess any single faith. We welcome families of all religions. 

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Q: Are you of any political party?

A: No, we have no political affiliation. Though we have noticed certain student movements getting more involved in RTE work than others, we personally do our work with no political banner. We also turn down invitations from political organizers and local councilmen, because we want to remain free of any affiliation. 

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Q: How have the children adjusted?

A: Better than expected. When our first batch of 12 kids got accepted to premier schools in 2014, I worried over everything from bullying and segregation to fee collections. None of those concerns transpired. Today, all of our children are doing remarkably well socially, and only a handful have struggled academically. The beauty of the law is introducing kindergarten children to the classroom, rather than older ones: at such a young age, none are aware of social standing. As they age they will learn, but it is unlikely that they will see the underprivileged as the "others" when they have been studying alongside such children since the age of 3. Nonetheless, as our children age we continue keeping a watchful eye on this broader social experiment.

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Q: Where are you going to send your child to study?

A: She attends an online, American school that is both a government school and a private school mixed into one. This structure allows me to essentially homeschool her, but it comes with an accredited degree and curriculum. I have chosen this route to stay away from the Indian schooling politics. 

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And of course, as of 2018 she is a student in our tuition center alongside all of our other RTE children. 

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