Nine-year-old Monica lives in Chilla Khadar on the banks of the Yamuna, overlooking the DND Flyway. Used to seeing cars whizz past the entire day, she hopes that one day, she can ride in one.
For now, though, she is content taking a boat twice a day — to get to school and back. “Do other people get to ride them?” she said with a smile. “Once I grow up, I will learn to row, the way others in my village have.”
Monica studies at Gyan Shakti Vidyalaya, run by an NGO at Gautam Buddha Nagar Park, close to gate number 2 of Okhla Bird Sanctuary. Around 8 am, Monica and about 10 other children get on the wooden boat anchored on the banks, a few feet from her house. Sitting with their legs folded, the children are constantly reminded by the boatman not to move too much. Each boat can accommodate eight-ten girls, or five-six boys.
The children spend most of the 15-minute journey discussing what food they might get in school, seemingly oblivious to the odour from the river.
The children in junior classes travel by boat for 15 minutes before getting down near the DND Expressway. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
After covering almost 250 metres on the river, the children are dropped off near a pavement on the DND. From there, it is a half-hour walk to the school.
“If we don’t drop them by boat, they have to walk 2 km on a non-motorable road to reach DND, which would take half an hour. Whoever is free goes to drop them. In the afternoon, many children walk home because there’s no hurry,” said 34-year-old Rajesh Sahini, a father of two boys. Chilla Khadar, close to Mayur Vihar Phase I, has two boats for the 20-odd families, which, apart from ferrying children, are also used to travel to markets in Ashok Nagar.
From the DND, the children form a line and walk through a dusty stretch to the school.
Sitting on rugs in an open park, Monica and her friends study English, Maths and Hindi for three hours before returning. The school, functional since 2006, does not have a building.
They undertake a half-an-hour uphill journey to reach the school, where they study for three hours. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
Many want to opt for a more formal school, but the closest MCD school, at Chilla Gaon near Mayur Vihar, is an hour’s walk away. According to the Right to Education Act, primary school children (classes I-V) should not be studying in schools more than 1 km away, while the distance is 3 km for students of upper primary level (classes VI-VIII).
A Delhi government education official said they are not sure if there is a school within a 3-km radius of the area. “Delhi is such a big city; it is very difficult to say why there is no school within the 3-km space,” said the official.
“The NGO school provides them books and stationery. They also facilitate admission to higher classes elsewhere,” said Sahini. Once students finish Class V, they usually shift to the government school at Samachar Apartments in Mayur Vihar — a one-and-a-half hour walk from home. Pancham Prasad, an elder from the area, says teenaged girls often face harassment on the stretch.
Uphill journey to their school. A Delhi government education official said they are not sure if there is a school within a 3-km radius of the area. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
Two years ago, a teenaged girl stopped going to school as a result. “After an incident of harassment, my husband felt scared to send her,” said her mother.
The girl’s friend, now in Class IX, still braves the walk every day, leaving home at 6 am. “I get very tired, but if I want to study, I have to make the effort. We walk in a group so it is easier to cross the road,” said the 13-year-old, who wants to become a teacher.
Even for the 15 elder students, the days of daily boat rides are not behind them. After school, the students head for tuition near Ashok Nagar, which requires a 20-minute journey by boat. Without the boat, it would take them an hour.
After reaching home, Class IX student Aarti changes, and reaches the banks by 3 pm. “At the tuition, they help us finish homework and guide us. My parents are not educated, so coming here helps,” she said.
Aarti and eight others get into one boat, while an equal number get into another. One student in each boat holds a container to keep throwing out water that gets inside on deeper stretches. By this age, the teenagers have learnt how to row. On the day The Indian Express travelled with them, Class IX student Ajay had the oars.
Many want to opt for a more formal school, but the closest MCD school, at Chilla Gaon near Mayur Vihar, is an hour’s walk away. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
After reaching land, it’s a 10-15 minute walk to the tuition centre. “We used to feel scared, now we are used to it. My friends have fallen into the water a few times, but everyone knows how to swim, so it’s not a problem,” said Pooja, who will appear for her Class X board exams next year — among a handful from her locality to have studied this far.
Around 6:30-7 pm, they are set to return. “This set-up has been running for a long time, and it will continue. No one is going to do anything for us. As long as our children are able to study, we have no complaints,” said Prasad.