Child Stars Skip School

The child stars from "Slumdog Millionare", Rubina Ali, 10, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, grew up in horrible slums of Mumbai, India. After filming the movie, director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson were able to get the kids into a school for disadvantaged children. However, Ali and Ismail have been neglecting their studies, attending 27% and 37% of their classes, respectively. Their parents blame deaths in the family and other misfortunes, but filmmakers state that the children are missing school for endorsement deals and other celebrity activities. If the children do not get their attendance rate above 70%, they will lose the benefit of a trust set up to help them after they graduate, if they graduate. Hopefully, Ali and Ismail will heed these warnings and attend their classes, perhaps for the benefit of education rather than the trust fund.

Hannah Rector, Assistant Photo Editor