Around 22 students, between six and 10 years of age, attend class at the Gair Awasi Prathamik Shala

Two years ago, when an open air school was first set up in the remote tribal village of Sardhi in the Korba district of Chhattisgarh, it was received with a lot of resistance and apprehension. Most families in the village refused to send their children to study, recalls a teacher. Today, with 22 students, this school, which is single-handedly helping change the fortunes of this non-literate tribal belt, is fast evolving. Once functioning under a tree, the Gair Awasi Prathamik Shala – meaning ‘no building primary school’ – could soon get its own building to conduct classes.