Take the case of Hamsa. Before she moved to Somanhalli, which is her mother's ancestral home, she lived with her grandmother in another village and went to the local school. So when the family moved here, she joined the Village School in class four. She's now in the sixth, she likes it out here and hopes to study further. "I'll probably study in nearby Palacode and up to Plus Two," says Hamsa.

Both her parents' work in the fields and her 19-year old brother is employed in Palacode having dropped out of school in the ninth class. He was average in studies, so rather than waste money on his education he was forced to seek employment. Hamsa has a younger sister who studies in the same school and they are good students. Now, if both harbor thoughts of higher education, then disappointment awaits them.

At the mention of pursuing a College Degree, there's sadness in Hamsa's voice. "Unlikely," she says. The money just isn't there.