Education on Wheels: A Moving Hope for Slum Children
In the vibrant, busy cities of Delhi and Gurugram, skyscrapers rise above, clearly contrasting with the struggling slums below. This reminds us of the challenges many people face in their everyday lives. Their dreams are buried under poverty, domestic responsibilities, and daily survival, and thousands of children remain deprived of education.
Marginalised children in India struggle with deep educational inequalities, facing lower literacy rates, higher dropout rates, and restricted access to quality education, widening the gap between them and their more privileged peers.
But Sukarya’s Education on Wheels (EOW) program is rewriting their story—one lesson at a time. According to the press release by the Government of India Press Information Bureau, enrolment at the pre-primary level was reduced from 1.1 crore in FY21 to 1.0 crore in FY22.
Children from marginalised communities lack access to quality education, making interventions like EOW crucial in bridging the gap and ensuring no child is left behind.
Sukarya’s Education on Wheels (EOW) is more than just a mobile classroom—it’s a second chance at learning for children left behind by the traditional education system. Designed to provide remedial and non-formal education, the program helps dropout students re-enter school.
Education: A Lifeline for Vulnerable Children
For children living in urban slums, access to quality education is often a distant dream. Many are first-generation learners, navigating an environment where education takes a backseat to financial struggles. Girls, in particular, face the highest risk of being left behind—trapped in cycles of household chores, early marriage, or child labour.
This is where Education on Wheels (EOW) steps in—a moving beacon of hope that brings the school to the students instead of waiting for them to walk into a classroom.
A Classroom on Wheels: Learning Beyond Boundaries
Imagine a school that drives into your neighbourhood. A well-equipped mobile classroom—with computers, televisions, books, and trained educators—arrives at the doorstep of children who otherwise would never enter a school.
The well-equipped mobile classroom includes basic computer education, regular parent-teacher meetings, home visits, and follow-ups to track progress. Festivals, extracurricular activities, and annual picnics create a sense of belonging, making education a joyful experience rather than a burden.
With a structured schedule and planned roster, the EOW bus operates in four slums in Delhi and two in Gurugram, ensuring that children receive regular educational support. On any given day, nearly 150 students step inside this bus, stepping closer to a brighter future.
This is what EOW does:
- Identifies non-school-going children from slum areas.
- Offers remedial education for dropouts, bringing them back into the system.
- Provides non-formal education for children who have never attended school.
- Equips students with functional literacy, life skills, and career guidance.
- Prepares children for government-certified Open Basic Examinations, ensuring their mainstreaming into formal education.
- Beyond academics, EOW fosters holistic development with essential life skills, health awareness, nutrition knowledge, career guidance, and core values.
- Provides nutritious meals for their physical, emotional, and intellectual development.
Opening Doors to Learning: Non-Formal Education with EOW
With a multi-grade teaching approach, children of varying ages and learning levels study together under trained educators who use interactive and engaging techniques, ensuring that learning remains exciting and compelling. The goal? To keep children from dropping out and integrate them into the formal education system.
For girls from marginalised communities, education is often considered a privilege rather than a right. But through multi-grade teaching, innovative learning techniques, and a curriculum designed to be engaging and relevant, Sukarya’s EOW program ensures that girls don’t just attend school—they thrive in it.
Nutrition-Powered Learning with Daily Meals
We aim to do our bit by following the thoughts behind the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) mentioned by the Department of School Education and Literacy. To support the nutritional needs of marginalised children enrolled in the Education on Wheels (EOW) Project, nutritious meals are provided as part of the program. This initiative is crucial in preventing and controlling anaemia, leading to remarkable improvements in the children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development. The impact goes beyond health—higher class attendance, increased motivation, and enhanced energy levels have been observed, ensuring that learning is not just an opportunity but a sustainable and enriching experience.
Why This Matters
Migrant and slum-dwelling communities form the backbone of our cities—they build our homes, clean our streets, and power essential services. Yet, their children remain trapped in a cycle of illiteracy and poverty. Without education, their futures are uncertain.
Sukarya’s Education on Wheels is more than just a program—a movement. It ensures the next generation has the knowledge, confidence, and opportunity to break free from poverty.
At the heart of EOW is its mission: We aim to make education accessible, affordable, and effective for marginalised communities, ensuring that vulnerable children have the opportunity to learn. This effort is strengthened by the support of Sukarya USA and Microsoft’s Giving through Benevity, which is helping EOW expand its reach.
The impact?
Children, especially girls, once confined to household chores, are now confident learners.
- Dropout students are re-entering mainstream schools.
- Young minds are learning functional literacy, math and language, essential life skills, and career planning.
- Holistic development for their future.
Join the Movement
Through EOW, education is no longer out of reach—it comes to them, shaping futures one step at a time. With your support, we can expand this initiative, reach more slums, and empower more children—especially girls—to step into a world of possibilities.
Let’s bring classrooms to those who need them most because every child deserves to learn.
