A TMC initiative, the school, located on the Mumbra station premises, provides free of cost education to the children for two hours a day
The children, who were previously seen begging inside trains or loitering on platforms, are now learning to write and draw
A Platform school at Mumbra railway station, started by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) with an aim to provide free education to street kids, has given 35 such children from the area a new life. Almost after a month of attending classes, they now want get an education so that they can stop begging for a living.
According to sources, volunteers from the area teach the kids for two hours every day, from 12-2pm. The children, who were previously seen begging inside trains or loitering on the platforms, are now learning to write and draw.
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Thirteen-year-old Rani, who recently learnt to write in English, said, "I have been begging on trains and platforms. I had never held a pen in my hand, but after two weeks of practice, I can now write the English alphabet. I want to learn English so that I can get a good job." "When we started teaching these kids a month back, they hardly knew anything, but now they can write. It's fun teaching them," said Farzana Kazi, a teacher at the school.
Speaking about a 10-year-old girl, who is addicted to gutkha, Kazi said, "As they live on the streets, it's difficult to get them control these habits. But we are trying our best. We give her toffees during school hours."
The volunteers believe that apart from imparting education, it was also important to ensure the children's safety. Hence, TMC has planned to install CCTV cameras in the area around the school. TMC PRO Sandip Malvi, said, "We are thinking of installing CCTV cameras in the area. We will soon sanction the plan and do the needful."
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