India, Oct. 5 -- At 26, Rakesh Khorwal has achieved what once seemed impossible. He completed his Chartered Accountancy studies last year, an accomplishment he attributes to an unlikely springboard - the night school where he studied from Class 10 to 12.

"My father runs a small workshop making ladies' shoes in Chembur. We helped him during the day and attended a night school in Kurla in the evening," says Khorwal, who pursued his chartered accountancy with support from Massom, a non-profit that helps night schoolers pursue a higher education.

Stories of hope abound in Mumbai's night schools and yet these institutions are in need of resuscitation. More than 15,000 students enrolled in night schools across Maharashtra are struggling to ge...