Excerpt- Children living in remote areas all over the world believe that” An investment in education pays the best interest.” They may not have the proper amenities to go to school but they have the determination to make a better tomorrow by braving the storms in life.
As Shakuntala Devi has said “Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth of life.’’
This is exactly the essence of this article. Children brave all odds and perils all over the world to procure this education to better their tomorrow. Children and parents alike have understood the role of education and how this education they can use to change the world. For children residing even in remote areas of the world know that going to school and getting educated is their passport to a great future and they are putting every effort for that beautiful future today. They are leaving no stones unturned. As it is said “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.’’
Let’s find out how children manage to reach school facing hardships-
Most students today go to school by bus, vans, air-conditioned cars or autos but in some remote places and due to inclement weather this is next to impossible, so different but dangerous modes of transport are being used by children to reach school.
GULU (China)
The remotest school in the world is located in Gulu in China, this is located high in the mountains. The children take five hours to reach the school as they have to walk on a 1ft wide cliff to reach the school. This cliff is spread over miles and it is a treacherous journey for children to reach their elementary school.
ZHANG JIAWAN VILLAGE(South.China)
Have you ever heard of children using ladders to reach school ? School children climb unsecured wooden ladders to go to school in this village in Southern China. Children since the age of five scale lofty cliffs using unsecured ladders to reach school. These terrifying heights do not stop children from attending school. Going to school comes with a price for life.
ZANSKAR SCHOOL(Himalayas)
What would it be like going to school by trekking through the snow? Children attend a boarding school located at an altitude of 3600m in the Zanskar valley in the Himalayas. The place is surrounded by snow almost for 8 months of a year and children have to hike through the snow to reach this school. Hiking through the snow is quite tiring for these small children but this does not deter them from attending school.
LEBAK(Indonesia)
Won’t you have your heart in your mouth if you had to go or send your child to school using a damaged suspension bridge daily?
Students in Lebak village have to cross a damaged suspension bridge daily to reach school. Children have even lost their lives crossing this bridge which gets damaged due to floods. But still, nothing deters them from attending school they risk their lives using the bridge instead of walking for miles to reach school. It is a clap on their back to choose school over losing their life.
PANGURURAN(Indonesia)
One feels cramped riding in an overcrowded vehicle but in Pangururan school students have no choice. They have to ride on the roof of a wooden boat to reach school. The boat is crammed with children and they have to cruise along the river in this dangerous position daily to reach school.
MYANMAR
Children in remote areas have to wade through rice fields, having knee-deep mud and even cross swollen rivers by boat to reach school. Though there are problems in going still school and a great future keeps them going.
Sometimes they use livestock to commute to school.
DUJIANGYAN(China)
A place where snow and icy cold winds are a part of life. Would it astonish you if you heard small children braving snow and winds and crossing a slippery bridge to reach school? Yes, this an everday routine for children to go to school, nothing stops them from going to school. It is a treacherous path and one wrong move may cause them to plunge down and lose their life.
PLEMPUNGAN VILLAGE SCHOOL(Indonesia)
Have you ever seen aqueducts being used for commutation? Well, children in Indonesia use aqueducts to commute to school as there is no direct passageway built to their school. The children of Plempungan use this mode than walking 6 kms to school. So much zeal is there just to get a better future.
RIO NEGRO RIVER(Colombia)
Can you imagine yourself flying through the air on steel cables to cross dense rainforests to reach school? Well, students in Rio Negro a remote place in Colombia zip -line along an 800m steel cable at a speed of 50mph to go to school. Small children are put in a sack and carried by the elder children. It is literally leaving caution to the winds
SRI LANKA
Can you imagine students walking across a narrow plank to reach their school daily? It is unimaginable but true. In the heart of the city, schoolgirls walk across a narrow plank on the wall of the 16th century Gallery Fort to reach school. The only support while walking across is holding on to each other which is quite dangerous. If the children get imbalanced they can get injured severely.
SUMATRA(Indonesia)
Can you imagine children going to school a la Tarzan style? In Padang village in Sumatra children travel across a tightrope 30ft above a swollen river. Any kind of imbalance can lead to drowning .Even after crossing the river they need to walk for miles to reach the school. Even after so much hardship, nothing deters them from going to school.
CILANGKAP VILLAGE(Indonesia)
Ever heard of children using bamboo shafts to cross a river to make it to school? this is true children of Cilangkap village in Indonesia cross the Ciherang river to reach school using bamboo shafts. It is like a temporary bridge which helps the children to cross the river and reach school.
RIZAL PROVINCE(Phillippines)