Noida: Since January 2021, 2,124 children have received ‘bridge schooling’ through mobile vans and have received 64,826 nutritious meals through the program, say officials Under the initiative, multidimensional mobile classrooms offer academic support to underprivileged children in mathematics and science, English language skills, art lessons, and digital literacy. The initiative also provides children with sports and recreational opportunities to help reduce school dropout rates and juvenile crime rates.
The mobile classrooms are fitted with LCD screens, sound systems, CCTV cameras, GPS, and educational materials to offer students access to education and exposure.
The initiative, which was launched in the district in January 2021, has five vans operating in various temporary settlements. On Tuesday, Bharti Singh, additional commissioner of police (headquarters), Gautam Budh Nagar Police commissioner, flagged off five more vans in the district from Police Lines, Surajpur, and Greater Noida.
“Delivering comprehensive life skills-based education and instigating collective social action will help empower young people from marginalized communities. It is our responsibility to help young talent advance so they can contribute to the nation,” says Singh.
According to official data from program coordinators at HCL, since January 2021, 2,124 children have received ‘bridge schooling’ through mobile vans and have received 64,826 nutritious meals through the program.
“With support from the local police station, each van reaches out to 50-60 children daily. The vans stay at one temporary settlement for around two-and-a-half hours and then move on to their next destination. Since this is ‘bridge schooling’, we aim to get these children integrated into schools,” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, vice president, of global corporate social responsibility, at HCL Foundation.
According to officials, 339 out-of-school children have been integrated into the formal education system since the launch of the initiative in the district, while 259 homeless children have been enrolled in schools.