While India is blazing trails in International Relations and Space Exploration people seem to forget about the millions of children left forgotten by the wayside, uncared for and uneducated. There are many NGO’s attempting to rectify this problem but no matter how many minds are in on this movement there seems to be a never ending stream of children in need of an education. One school in Chattisgarh has added it’s weight to the cause and is providing free schooling to children from underprivileged homes, all their parents have to do is plant more trees!

The school, Shishka Kuteer, located in Ambikarpur is an English Medium school and currently has 35 students between the age of 4 and 5. The project was an initiative of local professionals and businessmen and has garnered the support of the local community who are thrilled that their children are getting access to a quality education.

In lieu of fees, the parent or guardian of the child is required to plant and care for a sapling, if the sapling dies it must be replaced, in this way over 700 trees have been planted in the surrounding area. Aside from providing much needed schooling Shiksha Kuteer also hopes that their initiative will instill a sense of social responsibility and ecological awareness in the students and their families. In a country where over 22% of the population survives below the official poverty line, a free education could mean the world and if it’s cleaning up our environment, that’s just an added bonus.

Featured Image Courtesy IB Times