“On wheels” Initiative: Modern Public School delivering nutrition and education to the underprivileged

Tribune School Desk

Chandigarh, October 13

In a bid to alleviate the suffering of underprivileged children, who have been deprived of nutrition and education ever since the pandemic struck our shores, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi, has started its “On Wheels” initiative, aiming to provide proper food and education to these kids.

The school has taken the three school buses and converted these into mobile education units. These are currently being managed by the faculty members at MPS who’ve volunteered for this cause.

Each bus will serve a specific purpose and has been given a specific name accordingly – Science Park on Wheels, Roti Bank on Wheels, and Library on Wheels.

The Science Park on Wheels bus is loaded with equipment from the science lab at MPS so that the children can practically learn about important scientific concepts. This effort from the school seeks to honor the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of “Quality Education” and “Reduced Inequalities”.

The Roti Bank on Wheels bus is collecting food packets from door to door from all the kind-hearted citizens who are willing to lend a helping hand in the noble initiative and delivering the food to the underprivileged areas. This project seeks to honor the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of “Zero Hunger” and “Good health and well-being.

The Library on Wheels bus contains the extensive collection of books from the library at MPS and the underprivileged students, who were cut-off from the education as their schools were shut down during the lockdown, are now able to continue their education by studying books that explore their subjects of interest quite thoroughly. This initiative is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of “Quality Education” and “Reduced Inequalities”.

“Currently, we’re focusing on the slum areas of north Delhi, like Rohini, Kamla Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, etc., on the interval basis and covering 1 to 2 slums per day. While the Science Park on Wheels bus is providing crucial knowledge related to scientific concepts, the Library on Wheels bus is giving children an opportunity to bond with books. The bus can accommodate 10 to 15 students at a time with proper physical distancing, along with an MPS faculty member, who will be regularly conducting spell-binding story-telling sessions for the children,” said Mrs. Alka Kapur, Principal, MPS.

“No doubt that we’re all facing difficulties because of the pandemic, but there are some people living close to us, who are struggling to even arrange three proper meals a day. As responsible citizens, it is our duty to help out our less-privileged brethren by lending a helping hand in these testing times. Even the tiniest of efforts can make a huge difference. As educators, we have to make sure that the children who belong to the low-income families do not fall behind too much on their studies, because they are the stakeholders of tomorrow,” she added.