INDIAN CHILDREN ATTEND A CLASS IN A SCHOOL IN OPEN AT RAMSNEHI GHAT, 1998-01-11 (photo)

Indian children sit on mats as they read books during a class at an open school in Ramsnehi Ghat in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on January 8. Until 1991 nearly 40 percent of the schools in India did not have concrete buildings and 47.9 percent of the country's 930 million people cannot read or write their names, count up to 100 or even recognise signs, the bare minimum necessary for them to be listed as literate. Every child in India is considered an extra earning hand and families often do not approve of spending money on education, they would rather have the child work and contribute to the family income. INDIA