From a rural village to the world of technology: My story of struggle, education, and hope

India is often presented as a rapidly developing nation leading the world in technology, digital innovation, and economic growth. Political speeches frequently promote ideas such as “Digital India,” “Skill India,” and educational reform. However, behind these promises exists another reality, a reality experienced daily by millions of rural and financially weak students whose dreams remain limited not by talent, but by poverty and inequality. I am one of those students. My name is Ebrahim Mollick, a Muslim student from a rural area of West Bengal, Birbhum district. I belong to a financially weak family consisting of my parents, four brothers, and one sister. This article is not merely my personal story; it is the reflection of a larger crisis inside the Indian education system, where ambition often struggles against financial hardship, unemployment, and unequal opportunities.

The Teacher Who Became the First Light of My Education

Unlike many students, the foundation of my education was not built through private schools, expensive coaching centres, or paid tuition classes. It began inside a simple government primary school under the guidance of a woman who changed the direction of my life through discipline, affection, and belief in my potential. During my childhood, I was often careless in the classroom and spent time with academically weak students. One day, my primary school teacher noticed my behaviour and questioned me during class. Although I answered correctly, she became disappointed with the way I was wasting my abilities. As punishment, she asked me and some of my friends to leave the classroom. At that moment, I believed she was angry only because of my mistakes. However, after the classes ended, she called me to her office. Instead of humiliating me, she spoke to me with patience and concern. She told me that I possessed the ability to study seriously and encouraged me to change my attitude toward education. For the first time in my life, a teacher made me realise that hidden potential can remain meaningless unless guided properly.

She advised me to buy a reference book to improve my learning. Following her advice, I somehow managed to obtain the book. From that day until the end of my primary school life, she personally taught me Bengali and English reading with extraordinary dedication. People often say that a mother is a child’s first teacher, and that is true in my life as well. Yet this teacher became something equally unforgettable as the first trainer of my educational journey, the first hand that guided me out of the darkness of ignorance toward the light of learning. Though we shared no blood relation, she treated me with the care, discipline, and affection of a parent guiding their own child.

Every day, she called me to her office, monitored my progress, corrected my mistakes, and encouraged me to move forward. Her classroom was not merely a place of lessons; it was a place where confidence, discipline, and self-belief were quietly planted inside young minds. Today, when I reflect upon the condition of government schools in India, I realise that buildings alone cannot transform education. The true strength of an educational institution lies in teachers who recognise hidden talent in ordinary students and nurture it with sincerity. Teachers like her are not merely educators; they are nation-builders who illuminate lives long before society notices them.

India does not only need modern infrastructure and policies in government schools; it also needs compassionate and visionary teachers capable of transforming struggling students into hopeful learners.

Childhood Curiosity and the Birth of a Dream

Since childhood, I have been deeply fascinated by technology. I always wondered how computers function, how software responds to human commands, and how modern inventions transform human civilisation. While many children simply used technology for entertainment, I became interested in understanding its inner workings. Gradually, technology became more than an interest; it became my dream. I wanted to study computer science and build my future in the technological field. I imagined myself working with innovation and modern digital systems. However, dreams become difficult when a family struggles financially, even to fulfil necessities. Being born into a financially weak rural family meant that higher education was not guided by passion alone. Economic reality controlled every decision. In many poor Indian families, students do not choose subjects according to their interests; they choose according to affordability.

When Financial Reality Defeats Educational Dreams

Because of financial limitations, I could not continue my education in the science stream, although it had always been my passion. Instead, I appeared for the entrance examination of Darul Huda Islamic University, where both material and non-material education were provided. The institution gave me valuable moral and academic knowledge. However, the available subjects mainly belonged to the Arts stream, while my true interest remained connected to computer science and technology. At that stage of life, I experienced a painful conflict between dreams and circumstances. I realised that in India, many talented students silently sacrifice their passions because they cannot afford the educational path they truly desire. This is one of the hidden tragedies of the Indian education system.

The Growing Commercialisation of Education

Education in India is increasingly becoming a business rather than a basic right. Today, quality education often depends more on money than merit. Expensive private schools, coaching centres, and educational institutions continue growing rapidly, while many government schools suffer from poor infrastructure, teacher shortages, weak digital facilities, and outdated learning systems. This is one of the main reasons why many parents are shifting their children from government schools to private institutions. Families believe private schools offer better discipline, English-medium education, technological exposure, and improved career opportunities. Even financially weak parents take loans or make sacrifices to afford private education because they have gradually lost confidence in public institutions. Meanwhile, rural students continue suffering from educational inequality. A student from a wealthy urban family can easily access laptops, coaching centres, fast internet, and career guidance. In contrast, many rural students struggle even to buy books or pay examination fees. Private tuition culture has also become almost unavoidable. Students who cannot afford coaching often remain academically disadvantaged. As a result, the gap between rich and poor students continues to expand.

Scholarships, Government Support, and Ground Reality

Although the Indian government has introduced scholarship schemes, digital programs, and educational reforms, the reality at the grassroots level remains disappointing for many students. Scholarships often fail to reach deserving candidates effectively because of bureaucratic delays, lack of awareness, technical problems, and complex documentation processes. Many poor rural students either do not know about available opportunities or cannot successfully access them. Similarly, government educational policies frequently appear strong in political speeches and official documents but weak in implementation. Rural schools still lack modern laboratories, technological resources, career counselling, and digital learning environments. The dream of “Digital India” cannot become fully successful while millions of students continue studying without proper digital access.

My Personal Struggle Toward Technology

Even though circumstances prevented me from formally studying computer science, I refused to abandon my dream. I decided that if I could not receive technological education through institutions, I would teach myself. However, there was another major obstacle in my path: I did not own a laptop. For a student passionate about technology, not having a computer felt like trying to fly without wings.

Once again, financial hardship stood against my ambition. Instead of giving up, I searched for a solution. I began teaching students and collecting monthly tuition fees. Slowly, month after month, I saved money with patience and sacrifice. After nearly a year of struggle, along with support from friends and family members, I finally managed to buy a second-hand laptop. That laptop was not merely a machine for me. It represented hope, self-respect, sacrifice, and resistance against hopelessness. Today, I continue learning computer science and DevOps through self-study. Financial pressure still follows me constantly, and uncertainty about the future continues to exist. Yet I continue moving forward because I believe that poverty should not have the power to destroy dreams.

Unemployment and Fear Among Indian Youth

One of the greatest fears among Indian students today is unemployment. Every year, millions of graduates complete their education, yet stable employment opportunities remain limited. Degrees continue increasing, but job security continues decreasing. This situation creates deep anxiety among young people, especially those from financially weak families. Students study with hope, but many remain uncertain whether education alone can truly guarantee a secure future. For rural and minority students, this pressure becomes even heavier. Alongside financial struggles, they must also overcome social disadvantages, lack of exposure, and limited professional guidance. As a student myself, I often feel this tension deeply. The fear of failure, unemployment, and financial instability constantly exists in my mind. Yet these fears also motivate me to continue learning and improving myself.

The Crisis Inside the Indian Education System

The Indian education system today stands between promises and reality. On one side, we hear about Digital India, Skill India and educational reform. On the side, millions of students from rural and financially weak families struggle to survive in an unequal educational structure.

One big question is: Why are people leaving government schools for ones?

Recent reports show that enrollment in government schools has dropped drastically. According to NITI Aayog, government school enrollment fell from 71% in 2005 to around 49% in 2024-25. This decline shows that parents are losing trust in education. Many government schools have teacher shortages, infrastructure, lack of digital resources, poor English-medium exposure and outdated teaching methods. Meanwhile, private schools attract families with discipline, English education and technological facilities. Even though many poor families can't afford them. The situation is painful in India. In villages, education isn't about schools. Private tuition and coaching have become almost compulsory. Reports show that one in three Indian students now depends on private coaching outside school. This creates an inequality. A rich student can afford coaching centres, laptops, high-speed internet and professional mentorship easily, while a poor rural student struggles to buy just books or pay examination fees. As a result, education becomes a competition of power rather than talent. Scholarships should help students, but often they don't. Many students don't know about schemes, while others face bureaucratic delays, technical problems or insufficient financial coverage. A recent national survey reported that only a small percentage of students considered government scholarships as their educational support.

Although the Indian government has introduced educational initiatives, implementation is uneven across rural areas. Policies often seem powerful on paper. Weak in practice. Many students in villages lack internet access, computer laboratories, career guidance and modern technical education. The unemployment crisis deepens student frustration. Even educated graduates struggle to find employment. Reports say that the graduate unemployment in India remains and is continuously high, and many degree holders work in jobs below their qualifications. For students like me, this creates fear about the future. We study with hope. Uncertainty follows us every day. We're told that education guarantees success. Reality often proves otherwise. As a Muslim student from a financially weak family, I've personally experienced how dreams become difficult when education depends more on money than merit.

Problems, Government Response and the Need for Reform

My experience isn't unique to me; it's linked to those faced by millions of students throughout India, those from rural, economically disadvantaged and socially marginalised backgrounds. One significant issue in India today is the widening disparity in education. Students from urban families have access to private schools, tutoring centres, digital tools, reliable internet and career counselling. Conversely, rural students often lack educational essentials like textbooks, transportation, electricity or internet connectivity. A further major concern is the diminishing confidence in government schools. Many parents move their children from public to institutions, believing that government schools can't deliver quality education or ensure stable futures. Numerous government schools grapple with teacher shortages, inadequate facilities, obsolete teaching practices, poor English language environments and a lack of resources. In rural areas, students spend years in school without acquiring the practical skills needed for modern jobs. Simultaneously, private education has become highly commercialised. Education is gradually turning into a business sector where high fees often dictate standards.

Scholarship programs also remain problematic.

While the Indian government has introduced scholarship schemes, numerous individuals still encounter obstacles like complex paperwork, insufficient awareness, technical portal glitches, delayed approvals and inadequate financial aid. Unemployment is another issue tied to the education system. Each year, millions of graduates finish their studies. Stable job opportunities are scarce. This generates fear, uncertainty and mental stress among students. The Indian government has implemented reforms and educational efforts, including the National Education Policy (NEP), Digital India initiatives, skill development programs, learning portals and scholarship platforms. These measures indicate that the government has acknowledged educational difficulties.

Nevertheless, the key challenge is in execution.

While policies often look promising, their effects remain inconsistent in underdeveloped areas. Consequently, substantial educational reform is urgently required. Government-run schools need to be upgraded with infrastructure, qualified instructors, digital resources, hands-on learning systems and enhanced accountability. Scholarship processes must become clearer and easier to access. Students in these areas require affordable internet connectivity, computers and career counselling services. Above all, education should emphasise not exams and rote learning but also skills, creativity, technology, communication and job preparedness. My story isn't about achievement; it's about struggle, patience and determination. It's the story of a student trying to build a future despite poverty, inequality and limited opportunities. At the time my journey reflects the condition of millions of Indian students whose talents remain trapped between economic hardship and an unequal educational system. No student should be forced to abandon their dreams because of poverty. Education should empower the poor, not exclude them. Talent exists equally in villages and cities among the rich and poor, and among all communities. What remains unequal is opportunity. Today, with a handheld laptop and self-taught knowledge, I continue walking toward the world of technology. I can’t predict how difficult the future will be, but I have hope. I know one thing clearly: dreams become stronger when people refuse to surrender.

Perhaps one day India will become a nation where education is truly accessible to all, where students are valued for their abilities rather than their financial background and where no child is forced to sacrifice ambition because of poverty. Until that day arrives, students like me will continue fighting silently, not only for our own future, but for the future of a more equal India.

References