A school for their children - a gift from illiterate poor parents

There are no schools in the neighbourhood and almost 95 percent of the population is illiterate, the villagers themselves admit.
The Vasela Phali villagers named their school 'Sarasvati Vidya Mandir'. It has only one teacher as of now and is housed in a makeshift facility.
But the most important thing is that it has become the home for learning for 64 children, making their parents proud.
"I don't get salary every month because the villagers are very poor. But I am here for the love of it. I have enrolled 64 children aged between 5 and 14 years in the past one year," said a beaming Bheraram Devasi, the teacher.
Bheraram is the only villager who has completed college education.
He said he had written many times to the state's education minister and the district collector for help but was yet to get a response.

A school for their children - a gift from illiterate poor parents

They can't read or write but are determined to ensure their children get proper education. A community of tribals in Rajasthan who toil hard to make just about Rs.70 a day have built a school for their children with their hard earned money.

The tribals in the tiny Vasela Phali village in Rajasthan's Sirohi district, over 400 km from state capital Jaipur, came together and raised Rs.50,000 to build the primary school. Having grown up as illiterates, the around 300 villagers knew best the importance of education.
All they wanted was to see their children get proper education and lead a better life than them.
"It cost us Rs.50,000 to open the school. It's a huge amount of money for us. Most of us earn just about Rs.70-100 a day," Bharon Ram, a villager, said.
"We had approached the state authorities for help, but nobody came forward," he said.
The majority in the village is formed by the Garasia tribe, the third largest tribal group in Rajasthan. The villagers live near forests and are generally concentrated in Sirohi, Pali and Udaipur districts.

India second largest source of foreign students in New Zealand

India has emerged as the second largest source country after China for international students in New Zealand during 2010-11, according to official figures.

While student visa applications from traditional markets like China, South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan and Britain have declined in the past years, Indian students continue flocking to New Zealand for higher education.
The number of Indian students approved to study has increased steadily over the past five years, from around 3,700 fee-paying students in 2005-06 to over 12,000 in 2010-11, according to statistics released by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
Since 2007-08, India has been New Zealand's third largest source country after China and South Korea.
As many as 9,141 student visa applications have been approved from July 2009 to February 2011, reported INZ statistics.