Éclair: a street school chain in india, that inspires and enlightens (and has no classrooms or exams)

It was on a hot summer morning in Ludhiana when a high school graduate then, Jalnidh spotted kids form a nearby slum in a park near her home. She asked them, “Padhoge Kya?” (Would you like to study? ) The kids eagerly welcomed the opportunity and started reciting the alphabet. At the end, she bid them goodbye after distributing sweets without the slightest hint that this would begin a new chapter in her as well as the kids’ lives. She had started the class without the intention of continuing it the next day. However, when one of the students asked her the timings for the next class, she couldn’t resist teaching them again.

“I couldn’t think of a reason in the world to reject that innocent invitation by a knowledge hungry kid to teach them’”, Jalnidh told us.

The people in her locality reacted in diverse ways. While most of them discouraged her, there were a few who gave her the necessary push. Unshaken by the disapprovals, Jalnidh kept her spine straight and told everyone that she prioritized imparting education over simply receiving it. There were also some benevolent people who encouraged both Jalnidh and her students by distributing sweets and stationary items.

Thanks to Facebook Jalnidh’s friends read about the noble cause and decided to volunteer. Few became guest teachers at the street school.

Read the full article + more here.

This article is part of a series of carefully curated articles from the wonderful ‘The Better India’ website. The articles will appear every Tuesday + Thursday.