Ashok (Ash) Bagdy serves as vice president for outsourcing services at the Tampa, Florida, offices of Cameo Corporate Services Limited. A devoted supporter of nonprofit causes in the Indian-American community and beyond, Ashok Bagdy has volunteered with Ekal Vidyalaya, a nonprofit group fighting illiteracy among under-resourced populations in Nepal and India.
Although India is experiencing a boom in the technology, energy, and aerospace sectors of its economy, this growth has left many less-advantaged Indians behind. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, India’s 2011 overall adult literacy rate stood at just under 70 percent, with the literacy rate among adult women at less than 60 percent.
While the figures for young people were more equal, with the overall youth literacy rate at more than 86 percent and the female youth rate at almost 82 percent, many children and teens in rural and more remote areas still lack access to a comprehensive educational program. These regions are often difficult to navigate due to poor infrastructure and inadequate road systems, and hence have suffered a degree of neglect from government and nonprofit organizations. With regional inequalities drawing increased recent scrutiny, Ekal Vidyalaya plays a major role in bringing educational development to these communities.
Although India is experiencing a boom in the technology, energy, and aerospace sectors of its economy, this growth has left many less-advantaged Indians behind. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, India’s 2011 overall adult literacy rate stood at just under 70 percent, with the literacy rate among adult women at less than 60 percent.
While the figures for young people were more equal, with the overall youth literacy rate at more than 86 percent and the female youth rate at almost 82 percent, many children and teens in rural and more remote areas still lack access to a comprehensive educational program. These regions are often difficult to navigate due to poor infrastructure and inadequate road systems, and hence have suffered a degree of neglect from government and nonprofit organizations. With regional inequalities drawing increased recent scrutiny, Ekal Vidyalaya plays a major role in bringing educational development to these communities.
