Jamghat Pathshala provides free education to 200 students

In 2021, journalist Richa Anirudh started the Jamghat Pathshala with about eight students studying under a tree outside a temple. Today, it has more than 140 underprivileged kids who come there every day.

Every week from Monday to Saturday, these children sit in the shade of a tiny tree on a pavement outside a building in Sector 137, Noida, where Richa, a few volunteers, and two teachers teach them. The students get their notebooks and other stationery items from Richa. 

On what led to Jamghat Pathshala, Richa tells SocialStory, “One fine day I saw a few students sitting outside a temple. Upon asking I realised that these students are willing to study but due to lack of financial resources and right opportunity they are unable to get admission in a school.”

And thus, the mini school began.

The Jamghat Pathshala is divided into three groups — nursery, secondary, and senior secondary — and each has its own white board. Every morning, as soon as Richa’s car arrives, the children rush to take the floor mats and spread them on the pavement. The next step is to set up the boards. After all the preparation is done, the students stand in queue for a daily morning prayer.

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The Jamghat Pathshala not only provides free education to these underprivileged children, but also works to re-enrol them in school. The majority of the teachers and volunteers concentrate on helping them improve their language skills and upskill them in basic subjects, including English, Hindi, Mathematics, and others. 

Apart from the regular subjects, these children are also taught behavioural science, communication skills, health and hygiene, and more. Once the classes are over, the children return to their homes, typically in a slum area to resume their work and/or chores. 

Richa tells us that even in the harsh winters, the children were ready to attend classes every morning. That is when the team decided to buy them sweaters and jackets. 

“We see almost full attendance everyday. Not a single child leaves their classes. Most of the parents of these children are daily wage workers or security guards, domestic labour, rickshaw pullers,” says Bhavna Uppal, who teaches Mathematics and Science to the secondary group. 

The Jamghat Pathshala has received support in terms of stationery items, fruits and clothes for these children from people living nearby. But the main objective remains the same — put each and every child back in school. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, several children dropped out of school but now that the schools have reopened, they do not have the right opportunity to join back.

“My favourite subject is Maths. I could not study during the lockdown. But after joining these classes, I have revised my old syllabus. Now, I am ready to go back to school,” says Himanshu, a 13-year-old student.

Richa and her volunteers have also noticed some positive developments in the children over the last few months. The kids were excited to learn new things and are eager to return to school as soon as possible.