Mobile Schools for Out of School Children – Maham Asif

• Maham Asif
• Oct 25, 2024
• 2 min read

The disproportionate access to education in developing countries, especially for marginalized communities and conflict-stricken areas, calls for alternative modes of education that support the needs of the population. Alternative modes of education such as mobile classrooms allow those who do not have access to formal education and internet connections for education digitally to be accommodated. 

In Pakistan, initiatives such as the Citizen’s Education Development Foundation (CEDF), a mobile classroom bus, brings education to the home of every child. The aim of the initiative is to act as a pathway to formal education by teaching children basic writing and reading skills which serve as a foundation for enrolment into formal education sponsored by NGOs. On a daily basis 160 students aged between five to fourteen are educated in four 2 hourly shifts. Paid teachers cater to the individual needs of all students according to their development and learning levels.

The project started was in 1993 aimed to target underprivileged children living in Katchi Abadis that do not have access to quality education. The project is supported by the community, the bus is commissioned at a subsidized rates by Hino motors and the electricity and water in the bus is provided by neighbors. Moreover, partnerships with NGOs such as Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust (LRBT) and HELP Pakistan take into account the health of students as well by providing them with free annual cost health checkups and eye checkups.

This initiative highlights the importance of looking beyond neurotypical classrooms and addressing the needs of children according to their local contexts. The utilization of funding to hire teachers creates employment opportunities as well as provide children with more individualized teaching focusing on their learning needs. Moreover, the children are not only educated but their standard of life is elevated by paying attention to their health and moving towards integrating them into the formal school system. 

Such alternative modes of education can be used for refugees living in developing countries that do not have the means to integrate refugee children in education systems. As most refugees such as Afghan refugees in Pakistan are residing in temporary settlement camps, mobile schools can act as the bridge between refugee children and formal education in the host country. Such initiatives mobilize communities and help them make a difference with a directed approach to cater to individual needs of out of school children.