In Surat, India, Alpesh Bhai, who once aspired to provide his daughters with quality education after improving his financial situation in the diamond industry, faced severe setbacks due to the impact of the Ukraine war and U.S. tariffs, leading him to pull his children from private school to a public one. As the diamond sector saw major layoffs and income drops, many workers returned to their villages, unable to afford living costs. The local economy’s fragility resulted in significant school dropouts as families struggled. Alpesh now earns a meager income, questioning the future of his daughters’ education amidst ongoing hardships.
