Mukti Gupta’s innovative social venture, a mobile school initiative in the city of Kolkata, is literally reaching out to street children to ensure that they are able to rise both socially and economically.
As Mukti hails from an affluent family business, signing off checks to NGOs working for underprivileged children could have been an easier option, but that was not the solution for her. She says, “It has always been my wish to help underprivileged children in the field of education; I believe that education is the only way to give them a better future.”
The school now gets over 200 admissions and students are taught using innovative techniques. She set up a six-machine computer lab to that end. Understanding the importance of extra-curricular activities and sports, she started swimming classes in a nearby pond under the supervision of a national swimming coach. In fact, talented children could either qualify for district level championship or make it to good schools with sports quota.
Throughout the day, the bus is busy collecting street children for their ‘school time’. “Our objective is to bridge the gap between mainstream education and street children”, Mukti says. To make way for a spacious classroom environment inside the bus, the seats have been removed and carpets put in their place. A plasma TV hangs on the wall to enable audio-visual learning. To make the classroom more child-friendly and attractive, there are a lot of soft toys and games & puzzles. The bus exterior is very creatively and colorfully done.
“We teach with the help of audio-visuals to make learning a fun experience for the children, and make our classroom interesting by showing them cartoons, kid’s movies, rhymes & stories. We also take them for excursions”, Mukti explains. Ayahs (helpers) have been appointed to scrub clean the children daily and put on their school uniforms before they begin their classes.
Vocational training is also imparted, partly as an incentive for the children to join, and partly to make them ready be self-sufficient and to be able to live a life of dignity. The parents of the street children attending this unique school were initially skeptical about sending their children here, but have now become active supporters of it.
The unusual education drive is already en-route to success as two students have been admitted in a boarding school and a few students have been selected for government schools. Also, the Oriental Bank of Commerce has announced a year-long support for the mobile school. Mukti hopes to expand the scope of her work with this monetary support. “We are planning to launch two more buses so that we can reach more locations and educate more children,” she says. Clearly, the mobile school bus is going full steam ahead and is setting an outstanding example for other entrepreneurs with similar social aspirations.
Source: thebetterindia.com
