Free School Under The Bridge

This is a story of the power of human capital and will to help others get education. There is a school under a bridge in India with over 300 students coming in regularly, from grades 3rd to 8th. Rajesh Kumar Sharma is a shopkeeper near the bridge, who in 2010, started the school with only a handful students who are daily wagers and domestic helpers. Rajesh Sharma himself could not complete his education due to poverty and resources. He firmly believes that education is the only way out of poverty. Joining Rajesh Sharma are two other teachers, Laxmi Chandra and Shyam Mathur, who also have similar social and economic background as Rajesh Sharma and the students. They are mostly daily laborers, farmers or children of domestic helpers.

The blackboards are painted on the concrete walls and the students sit on the ground, under the bridge and learn from the three teachers, who carve out time between running their own stores. The teachers focus on teaching English which is not taught in the government run schools. The free school under the bridge is a respite for the students from their daily grind and offers hope for a better future. Watch the story here:

the ground up. They also help these students get admission to the local government school.