Pencils, not pavements: Kids take ‘class' leap!

Time of India

16-05-2025

New Delhi: For most students, school is an expected academic ladder and passing the board exams a long-accepted formality. But for some, it is a milestone that their families wouldn't have imagined they would ever cross.
In west and northwest Delhi, for instance, where schoolbags were once a rare sight, 501
street-connected children
had to be helped to attend school by an NGO and many of these kids are the first in their families to sit in classrooms.
The annual report by NGO Childhood Enhancement Through Training and Action (Chetna) revealed that it got 254 boys and 247 girls in west and northwest Delhi enrolled in 49 govt and municipal schools for the 2024–25 academic year.
Of them, 222 (127 boys and 95 girls) joined primary classes, while 238 (109 boys and 129 girls) were admitted at the upper primary and secondary levels.
In the annual examinations held between March and April, 20.3% of 460 street-connected children obtained Grade B (scores between 60 and 79%), 48.2% Grade C (45-59%) and 30.9%, Grade D (33-44%). Girls maintained a higher average attendance of 64.5% than the boy at 61.3%.
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Subject-wise, the highest scores were attained in Hindi and social science.
Behind the numbers are young lives confronting the odds. Some studied without textbooks, others squinted at borrowed notes under flickering streetlights, some did not even know how to hold a pencil too, while yet others wore school uniforms bought piecemeal. But the common thread connecting them is that they are the first in their families to get this far.
One of the students is Asif, who lives in Kirti Nagar's Nehru Camp, surrounded by trash and broken roads. TOI had reported on Asif and four others when they became the first in their families to reach Class X. Four successfully passed the recent board exams. Asif, 15, lives in a cramped makeshift home with Safiya Khatoon, his mother, his grandmother and two uncles. His mother came to Delhi, her maternal home, to flee domestic violence, but without an Aadhaar card, she couldn't admit Asif into a school until Chetna intervened.
Khatoon, a domestic worker, said, "I'm overjoyed that Asif passed his Class X CBSE exams, scoring 68.5%. He's the first one in our family to achieve this milestone and this fills me with pride and happiness. I hope my two other children will also complete their education."
Asif's schooling, like that of 501 kids, was made possible through Chetna's Mera Basta initiative in collaboration with Toybox Charity. The effort covered areas like Inderlok, Shakurpur, Paschim Vihar and Keshavpuram.
Nasir, 14, is also a beneficiary. His father who came to Delhi from Bihar and began working as a loader in an iron factory, did not earn much and Nasir sold diapers at the local Thursday market. But Chetna intervened and got Nasir enrolled in a school.
He has now reached Class VII, having scored 53% in the final Class VI exams. The youngster is also a kabaddi player and has won a medal at the district level.
Riya, a 12-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh, migrated to Delhi with her mother in search of better opportunities.
While her father continues farming in their village, her mother works as a domestic worker in the city. When Riya first started school, she didn't even know how to hold a pencil. However, she made remarkable progress and is now in Class VII, having passed Class VI with 69%.
Being promoted to higher classes has not only made the kids happy, but also their parents. Homemaker Pinky said, "I'm happy that my son Nitin progressed from Class VII to VIII.
His achievement means a lot to us because the journey isn't easy."
Sanjay Gupta, director, Chetna, reaffirmed that his organisation was dedicated to enrolling children in schools every year and supporting them throughout their academic journey. He acknowledged that while the educational outcomes may not yet match those of children from more privileged backgrounds, the progress is a promising indication that consistent investment in street-connected children can make meaningful and lasting change in their lives.