Free School under the Bridge’ run by Rajesh Kumar Sharma underneath a metro bridge in the nation’s capital is making headlines. Sharma has been running a makeshift school; where over underprivileged children from the nearby Yamuna Bank area have been coming to study for the past eight years. The school is being run by the shopkeeper without any assistance neither from the government or any NGOs.
A resident of Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area, Sharma who runs a small grocery shop in the area. The 49 year-old is the educator of more than 300 children living in shacks and hutments close to the Yamuna Bank metro station. The children, aged between four and 14 years, attending his makeshift school come from families of slum dwellers, ragpickers, rickshaw-pullers and beggars. The school began with two children in 2006 with Sharma as the sole teacher and today is run in two shifts from 9 to 11 AM for 120 boys and 2 to 4.30 PM for 180 girls, with the help of seven teachers who live in nearby areas and in their free time, volunteer to teach the students.
The school with Delhi metro bridge as its roof has five blackboards painted on the wall of the metro complex and some stationary such as chalks and dusters, pens and pencils.
Read more of this in a report published in JagranJosh... (Link given below)
Such efforts can be made by any one and any where. Rajesh Sharma has proved that one need not be associated even with a NGO, if s/he is determined to help. There are many retired persons who want to serve the society but do not find enough opportunities. Here is one example - where one doesn't have to wait for anyone - just start. - Editor
