Beneath a bustling flyover in Mumbai, a row of pastel shipping containers houses the 'Signal Shala'-a free school for children left out of the formal education system.
Founder Bhatu Sawant created the school to serve children from homeless and migrant families who cannot attend regular public or private schools. Government data for 2024-2025 lists nearly 1.2 million children as 'out of school.'
The school provides showers, lockers, uniforms, three free meals daily, and bus pickup from city slums. Classes are grouped by ability, not age, and teachers tailor lessons for children who may have never held a pencil.
The initiative also has two similar schools on Mumbai's outskirts with robotics labs. Sawant says the goal is to prepare students for the 21st century: 'They should know robotics, AI, computers, 3D printing.'
Students like 12-year-old Balaji Laxman, who once sold tissues at traffic lights, now dream of becoming doctors. The school relies on private and corporate donations, with government support for infrastructure.