Just yesterday I was talking to my maid about health and education. I came to know that she has studied till grade 8. She could not continue further because of the untimely death of her father. As I asked her about her health, she told me that she does not suffer from any common illness as such. Though her children have a tendency to catch cold every now and then , and as a result are often down with cough and cold. She said they visit a private dispensary in their own area where doctor's fees and medicines are charged at a nominal rate, whenever any member of her family falls sick. She has 2 kids, 1 of which goes to the DPS, R.K.Puram which has been established for children coming from lower economic strata. She is planning to get her younger kid admitted to the same school as well. She spends approximately Rs 4500/- annually on the education of the one child who is studying at the moment (the figure includes expenditure on fees, books and uniform as well). Her child does not get a mid-day meal at school. When asked why she wants her children to get educated, she gives the usual answer that as she herself could not continue her studies and as a result she is having to work as a domestic help, she does not want her children to have a similar life as hers. She wants them to live a good quality of life and have an adequate standard of living.