HOW NGOs ARE FILLING THE
PUBLIC EDUCATION GAP IN
POOR COMMUNITIES

How NGOs are Filling the Public Education Gap in Poor Communities

Non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, do seem to be the “magical” answer to instances where there is a significant need, but a gap that a government just cannot fill no matter how much desire there is. NGOs exist across all sectors, some of the most notable ones being healthcare, education, and cultural heritage preservation.

Maybe the acronym is new to you, but you know more about NGOs than you think. They can be synonymous with charities, and a lot of them are registered charitable organizations. One of the most famous NGOs is Doctors Without Borders/Médicins Sans Frontières, a healthcare organization that sends doctors and medical professionals to the front lines of war torn areas and areas of intense poverty to give care to those in need.

If we are trying to build a world where all children have an equal opportunity to education and can take control of their own lives, even becoming leaders in their communities, then we need to prioritize NGOs for education and help them work on closing the public education gap.

Provide Funding for Schools

It is unfortunate that it all comes down to funding, but the most tangible and helpful thing that NGOs for education do is provide money for the maintenance and running of schools.

The role of NGOs in the world of education is becoming increasingly important as governments across the world cut education spending, especially in low income countries, where almost a third of the children do not go to school. It is in those low income countries where there are many areas of intense poverty where the little money that the government does have mainly goes to the top ten percent of students, who sometimes don’t need the aid at all.

While all schools, regardless of income level of the area, do need funding, poor communities benefit from NGOs especially because those organizations are the only source of money they have access to. And this is where the public education gap exists since education should be a basic human right for all, but without the proper, safe facilities, children in poor communities cannot go to school.

Assist Families in the Day to Day

Schools aren’t the only ones who need the money, but most of the time, even if there are schools, families don’t have the means to send their children. Because of the financial situation, children are needed to work and contribute to the family income, which is why families cannot give them up to school. NGOs also provide money to families to cover the tuition, food, and supplies cost.

Most education NGOs in Pakistan only focus on the school funding aspect of the public education gap, but NARA Education’s virtual school technology is designed to address the need for children to stay in their village to work while still getting a fun education on their own time. Their critical thinking will be inspired, and they will have better ideas to benefit their communities, another example of how poor communities benefit from NGOs.

Advocate for Policy Change

Money is not the only priority, but a very important role of NGOs is to advocate for policy change. NGOs are not affiliated with any governments, and can therefore go to the decision makers in any capacity to fight for the law changes needed to carry out their missions. However, this is where the real fighting spirit is needed since it takes years of research, meetings, speeches, and fundraising to make change.

Because NGOs are filled with people who care deeply about what they are fighting for, in this case, filling the public education gap and providing education and funding for those in poor communities, they are usually successful at least in bringing attention to important needs. Since there are now about 10 million NGOs operating in the world, there is a real chance that government policies can change with all the work that is being done.

Nara Education’s Work

NGOs for education are one of the biggest pieces of the sector, and NARA Education is working to become one of the most active education NGOs in Pakistan. With our growing schools, our virtual school technology, and our focus on technology for education to fill the public education gap, we are well on our way to providing the education that all children deserve.

We provide all the supplies and technology that children need to attend schools, make sure they have the strongest, state certified curriculums to learn from, and only hire the hardest working teachers to support children on their journey. Our board members care deeply about the cause, and are constantly coming up with new ways to spread the word, raise money, and fill the public education gap in Pakistan to start, but that is just the beginning! Our hope is to expand to other countries to help children and poor communities worldwide.

Conclusion

NGOs serve an important role in providing aid to communities and sectors that need it, and thankfully, people recognize that. According to a global study on NGOs, 80% of people recognize that those organizations make it easier and more fulfilling to contribute to change. They want to carry out the good work, but cannot donate to or volunteer with the governmental programs.

NGOs operate all over the world on every continent, and the amount of donations from citizens increases every year, with the Charities Aid Foundation predicting that by 2030, 2.5 billion people will donate to NGOs. Because of this increased loyalty and awareness, poor communities benefit directly from NGOs.

We at NARA Education are specifically working to fill the public education gap in poor communities because it is our mission to provide a quality and complete education to all children, no matter where they live. As one of the leading education NGOs in Pakistan, we work tirelessly to surpass our goals and reach more children, hopefully expanding into other countries as well.

Please help NGOs for education! Donate to NARA Education today.

About Author

Ilona Sindhu

Ilona is a writer focused on Old Norse mythology, drawing from her Hungarian, Pakistani, and American roots. She holds a BA in Dramaturgy and Theatre History from NYU and a Master’s in Religion and Literature from the University of Edinburgh. Her work blends myth, culture, and storytelling across borders.