A day at a Signal School in Ahmedabad

Working as a bridge, the Signal Schools have reached out to such children who fail to miss school education. (Express photo)

The yellow buses converted as ‘Signal School’, an initiative implemented by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Municipal School Board with support from the state government and the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority was launched on March 6.

“Barring the infrastructural differences between a Signal and any other normal government school, what makes me contend is the happiness seen on the faces of these children. Children elsewhere might be forced to attend the school but these children are more than eager to come to school as they wait for the buses. We feel good teaching them,” said Chaudhary, who hails from Mehsana. She was a private school teacher in Kutch and Sanand for over three years prior to the current stint.

Launched within two months of its announcement, the scheme, with the motto ‘bhiksha nahi shiksha’, began with 10 discarded Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) buses, specially converted into a mobile school for the purpose.

With a sanctioned budget of Rs 3 crore, as reported by The Indian Express, the Signal School scheme was announced in the AMC school board draft budget on January 7 for out-of-school children at traffic signals across the city.

Working as a bridge, the Signal Schools have reached out to such children who fail to miss school education. The scheme is already in its second phase and mainstreamed nearly 150 children by June at over 40 traffic signals in Ahmedabad city.

“All 18 children in the first batch have been admitted to eight municipal schools depending upon their location,” she adds. The Signal School she has been appointed at is attached with the Makarba municipal school where they are provided the midday meal. Children, mostly those who have migrated from Saurashtra, are picked up from SG Highway. While a few are staying along the highway, others are in slums near Makarba.

One of the daily routines of Priyanka also includes tracking the attendance of the first batch of students. “I check their attendance from the eight schools on a daily basis. Barring four, everyone is regular. These four, we learnt, could not attend the school due to some social and personal reasons but soon would be regular like others,” she adds.

Priyanka and assistant teacher Urvashiben ensure the children understand what they are told and tries to make learning interesting through activities and toys.

The buses are made attractive and painted in vibrant colours and are equipped with a TV screen, writing board, a small desk and chair for the teacher, and toys and games for the students.

Classes take place in the bus, while for sports and outdoor activities, the children are taken to the school ground.

While the classes get over at 1 pm, for Priyanka it ends only after she safely drops each and every child from where she picked them up.

“Only if the parents are assured that their children are safe, will they send them tomorrow,” she says as the empty bus returns back to the school.