Friends Dev Pal, a lawyer, and Deepak Chaudhary, a teacher, found out how the education of children of migrant workers is hampered due to poverty and constant displacement.

So they decided to do something about it and came up with movable schools that are well-ventilated and don’t need electricity.

Funded by the Ekta Foundation, the school, Sharda Yamuna Khadar Pathshala, is made of bamboo to keep it cool and ventilated.

“Initially, we planned to make the schools out of tin and steel but with harsh summers in these areas, we decided to make it out of bamboo,” says Dev.

The school in Delhi is located in a remote and flood-prone area without access to electricity.

Many migrant workers residing there are farmers who suffer significant losses during floods, resulting in children being unable to attend school.

With their studies discontinued, the children are often forced into child labour and most work in the fields with their parents.

Teachers also face difficulty reaching the location as it is remote and the roads are in bad shape.

“The area is dusty and dry, and there are no roads. It is quite difficult to reach here. Additionally, most of the parents who are farmers do not want their children to go to school as they like the extra help on the fields,” says Rupam, a teacher in Sharda Yamuna Khadar Pathshala.

But now, a school so close to the children’s homes has made it easier for them to study and then go back to the fields and help their parents.

“I have six daughters and I do not have the time or money to take them to school. I am mostly working in the field. But this school near our homes is helping my daughters get an education,” says Pancham, a farmer and migrant worker.

When the school started, it had only five students but now has over 250 children. The duo is planning to set up a library and also coach students for competitive examinations next.

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