Shopping mall’s rear gallery turns school for slum children

Ghaziabad: Twelve-year-old Babita, of Chatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, till four years ago was working with her mother and was all set to become a domestic help, like

Ghaziabad: Twelve-year-old Babita, of Chatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, till four years ago was working with her mother and was all set to become a domestic help, like her mother, in Vasundhara. Her fortunes changed, thanks to an informal school that is being run from the rear gallery of a shopping mall, the One Mart Mall, in Vasundhara’s Sector 6 in Ghaziabad. Like Babita, about 100 other children from nearby slums are getting educated there and are hopeful of joining mainstream schools soon.

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The school is the brainchild of Ravi Tripathi, 38, who faced severe financial issues during his childhood — his father was a peon at a private company in Delhi and could hardly support the family. Ravi was helped by some well-wishers to get training at a cricket academy in Delhi, where he also sold sports goods to earn a living, while continuing his education.

The informal school was Ravi’s way of giving back to society. “There are hundreds of children in slums and shanties and I see them deprived of education. Babita started working as a domestic help and had no dreams about her future. I persuaded her family to allow her to come to the school. Reluctantly, they allowed her to come for two days a week, but now she is a full-time student here and has left her job of a domestic help. She is quick learner and is good in painting as well as dance, besides her studies,” Tripathi, a property dealer who owns an office in the mall, said.

The small gallery behind the mall in Sector 6 has been housing the school for the past five to six years and operates from early morning till shops and stores open around 10pm. Tripathi took pains to clear a vacant plot of solid waste and it now serves as a playground for children. The school has a dustbin, clean drinking water, and mats of different colours signifying different classes, from 1 to 6.

“The mat colours tell us which class we are in and we sit accordingly. We have regular studies here with books and uniforms and I enjoy coming here. I also read newspapers and wish to study at least till class 12. I do not wish to return to household work anymore,” Babita said.

Like Babita, 12-year-old Pinky is also from a poor family in Bihar and lives at a nearby shanty. Her father is a rickshaw puller. “I wish to become a teacher and impart education to others like me. I have started to understand things better. Earlier, rain to me meant water falling from the sky. Now, I can understand its utility— it brings life to trees and also help people get water and farmers produce crops,” Pinky said.

Tripathi said, “It has become my passion to teach slum children. But I also realise that they someday need to get into mainstream schools to be able to achieve something in life. I spend money from my own pocket and some volunteers also chip in. People come and distribute food to our children here on their special days. Otherwise, I prepare a small quantity of food each day for all of them. Likewise, we have chalked out a syllabus as well as activity and sports days on specific days of a week. Such a schedule keeps them interested and they don’t miss out on studies. So far, five of our children have got enrolled into local private schools and are performing well,” he said.

“But we need more people to come forward and sponsor at least one child up to class 9. It costs just ₹800 to ₹1,000 per month at local schools. Once the children study up to class 9, we can get them into the open schooling system so that they can move forward. But sponsors and donors are difficult to find. People don’t come forward so easily,” Tripathi said.

Tripathi’s school also has two hired teachers. “We teach girls about the good touch and bad touch and also try to improve their understanding about health and hygiene. We are trying hard to get them enrolled at least in class 4 at local private schools,” Monika Tyagi, one of the teachers, said.

“The students are active learners and display good writing skills. Our students come with school bags, water bottles and keep a tab on their pencil boxes, books, erasers, sharpners, etc. Slowly but surely, they are also learning manners and good behaviour,” Lalita Bhatt, the other teacher, said.

“Above all, I am trying to ensure that they don’t suffer for lack of education. Their smile is all the earning I need,” he added.Tripathi said.