Free school begins for underprivileged kids in Pari Chowk metro station complex

A special school for underprivileged children in Pari Chowk metro station complex in Greater Noida was inaugurated on Saturday by the Noida Metro Rail Corporation in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Management Technology, officials said.

The free of cost school --BIMTECH Vidya Kendra --aims at providing basic and life skills education to children from poor families, especially belonging to the Banjara community and migrant labourers, the NMRC said.

"This is the first of its kind initiative in India where a school for the underprivileged is being run under a functional metro station," the NMRC said, adding that it plans to support more such initiatives in the future and is willing to provide its premises for these projects.

The school was inaugurated by NMRC Managing Director Alok Tandon along with BIMTECH director Harivansh Chaturvedi, according to an official statement.

The special school will also have classes for women who were unable to pursue basic education, it said.

"This initiative will also provide training in computer skills to young girls who have completed schooling / college and belong to poor families. This training will help in providing them necessary skills required to earn their livelihood in a respectable manner," the NMRC said.

It said all the classes held at the BIMTECH Vidya Kendra are free of cost.

The special school also provides necessary books and stationery to students free of cost. The makeshift classes made of tin containers are air conditioned and well equipped with desks, chairs and blackboards, it added.

The NMRC said the school has provisions for holding smart classes and a well-equipped library with a collection of almost 1,000 books.

"The teachers also are volunteers who have come forward for this noble cause after taking out time from their busy schedules," it said.