Republic Day 2024: 75 Years Into The Birth of Constitution of India

The first Prime Minister of India, the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his famous speech ‘Tryst with Destiny’ delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly on the eve of India’s independence had said, “The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity.”

This is an interesting remark that captures not only the essence of the vision of the framers of the Indian constitution but also reveals the key to building a truly great nation.

Republic Day 2024

Every year we observe Republic Day on 26th January to celebrate the occasion of the adoption of the Indian constitution, which gave India its identity as the largest democracy in the world. As India gears up to welcome its 75th Republic Day, let us pause and ponder how far we have achieved the vision of the Indian constitution, how far we still have to go, and how citizens can collectively contribute towards the development of the nation.

Free Others This 75th Republic Day: We Tell You ‘Why’?

Education plays a catalytic role in the development of a nation. It holds the key to unlocking the potential of a country by improving the quality of its human resources. As quoted by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.

That is precisely how education has the potential to turn around the life of an individual. Education can truly empower an individual because:

1. It equips one with the knowledge of science and technology relevant to their times. For example, the ability to use a mobile phone, the internet, or make online payments is possible when one has the basic literacy to identify alphabets, numbers, etc, and read and understand instructions.
2.  It helps people realize their potential by revealing their hidden talents and guiding them to use them productively
3. It increases the self-esteem and confidence level of an individual. Helps in shaping the personality of an individual with the right attitude and appropriate behavior.
4. It imparts life skills and enables a person to make better decisions about their personal and professional life.
5.  It improves the standard of living of a person by empowering them to have better opportunities for employment and earning their livelihood.

Any nation is heavily dependent on its human resources for its growth and development. The quality of human resources is an essential index of the socioeconomic development of the country.

Acknowledging Quality of Life in India on Republic Day 2024

As emphasized in the National Policy on Education 1986, “The human being is a positive asset and a valuable national resource which needs to be cherished, nurtured and developed. The catalyst action of education in this context needs to be planned and implemented meticulously”.

India has already completed 76 years of independence. While there has been a noticeable increase in terms of the number of educational institutes, the reality of the quality of education and achievement of educational policies is far below expectation. As per statistics, the overall enrollment at primary levels has seen a decline in recent years. 

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020 states that 5.3% of rural children in the age group of 6-10 years did not enroll in school in 2020 as against 1.8% in 2018. The report further says that dropout rates at the secondary education level have been consistently high and it is more prominent among students and girls belonging to Scheduled Tribes.

Adding to it, the recent pandemic has struck a severe blow to the status of education mainly among the poor and marginalized communities. The loss of livelihood, blow to the economy, switching to an online mode of education and other factors have led to many students dropping out of the education system and losing access to the opportunity to shape their future.

On one hand, COVID-19 induced rapid growth of Ed-tech platforms making India the world’s second largest E-learning market; on the other hand, it has caused a huge digital divide disproportionately impacting the poor and disadvantaged.

Smile Foundation and Nation Building

Children are the future of our nation and education can transform their lives for the better. We, at the Smile Foundation, believe that every child is entitled to the gift of education. Education is one of their coveted constitutional rights. Hence, we have dedicated ourselves fully to the cause of children who deserve more and their families.

Through our flagship programme, Mission Education, we have provided education to 200,000 children so far. We are children not just to gain an education but also to make efforts toward their nourishment, welfare, and holistic development.

However, we can move forward in our mission and reach out to more kids only with your support. This Republic Day 2024, let us vow to bring change to bridge the gaps existing in our education system and make education inclusive and accessible to all.

Please come forward and contribute towards nation-building. Learn more here!

Girl Child’s Status in India’s 75th Year of Republic

Equality and justice are the underlying principles of our constitution.

However, despite constitutional rights, gender disparity is still a sad reality in our country. The declining child sex ratio or the number of females per 1000 males between 0-6 years of age stands as testimony to this. According to data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, the child sex ratio at birth in India in 2019-21 was 929. This reflects both the pre and post-birth discrimination against girls in Indian society.

Despite being almost half of India’s population, women are still among the neglected sections in Indian society who do not get equal opportunities in basic education and skill development. The education of girls has positive multiplier effects on society, as an educated girl grows into an empowered woman who can make better choices and informed decisions for herself and her children. 

According to UNICEF, investing in girls’ education can transform communities, countries, and the entire world. Taking a significant step in this direction the government of India has launched the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign to enable the survival, protection, and empowerment of girl children through various interventions.

Empower Our Girls

We, at the Smile Foundation, are also doing our bit to empower India’s daughters. With our initiative called ‘She Can Fly’ we try to support girl children in India to reach their fullest potential by empowering them with quality education, nutrition, healthcare, and necessary skills. 

We urge civil society to join hands with the Smile Foundation to give wings to our girls and enable them to fly. Please participate in educating and empowering them this Republic Day 2024; because in their empowerment lies the nation’s development.