NEW DELHI // Raja Kumar never dreamed that he would go to school. He lived on the streets of Delhi, rummaging through rubbish for a living and playing with other street kids.
Now, he has been admitted to a government school - thanks to a mobile learning centre.
Thirteen-year-old Kumar, who lives in a Okhla area slum, received a basic elementary education at the mobile centre, which was launched last month by the charity Save the Children to educate street and slum children.
"My father is the only earning family member," said Kumar at the New Sanjay Camp near Okhla in south Delhi. "In a family of five siblings, we just survive. I have to do my bit to support my family. I was lucky to get a chance to study ... I don't think I ever could have.
"I am getting a sense of direction towards further studies and employment," Kumar added. His eyes now carry the spark of hope of a better and more secure life.
Housed in a gleaming yellow bus, the learning centre is bridging the gap between streets and schools for children usually found rag- picking or begging. It equips them with a basic education.
The school may be on wheels but everything else in the classroom is conventional - a roll call, attendance register and teachers. To keep the children interested in their studies, the bus is equipped with graphical story books, an LCD television, cushioned couches and wooden cupboards.
Over the past two weeks, the centre has seen an increase in attendance - from 38 to 53 children.
Keeping their economic needs in mind, the school allows the kids to continue rag-picking or selling knick-knacks at traffic lights. They study whenever they have time.
After educating children in the New Sanjay Camp and two other locations in the slum, the mobile centre is set to help children living at Kalkaji Temple, Nehru Place and Tuqlakabad Railway Station.
Delhi is home to more than 50,000 street children, according to government estimates. "The idea is to get these kids admitted in municipal primary schools after some preparatory education at our centre," said Zahir Elias, the project coordinator.
The bus is parked and holds classes in two shifts on alternate days of the week for 3 to 5-year-olds and 6 to 14-year-olds.
At the heart of the launch of this school on wheels was a survey by Save the Children, a non-governmental organisation, that found that parents were willing to send their children to school if it did not interfere with their work as income earners. Many of the children work as hard as their parents.
"Our focus is to keep children enthused towards education and make them determined to study," said Mr Elias. "After the survey, we had a series of motivational interaction with the community.
"Our aim is to free them from labour and integrate them with the mainstream education and society," he added.
The mobile centre aims to cover more than 2,000 streets in the capital. The group also plans to tackle a high dropout rate among children.