New Delhi: As flood-hit families struggle to adapt to life in tents, they worry about their children’s education. The loss of books, bags and uniforms has left many of them wondering if they will be able to return to school.At the Pradhan Garden relief camp in Kalindi Kunj, Shivam Jha, 9, sat in his grandfather’s paan shop, handing out packets of wafers to customers. On a shelf lie the water-damaged textbooks that his grandmother managed to save. His and his sister’s uniforms were swept away by the floodwaters. “They won’t let us into the classroom without a uniform,” worried the boy. “I won’t be able to return to school unless we buy new uniforms. But I doubt we can do that.” He flipped through his ink-smeared pages, reading the notes he had carefully made at Govt Boys Senior Secondary School in Madanpur Khadar.Further down the lane, near Makki Masjid Colony, Nandini, 8, a student of Sarvodaya Balika Vidyalaya in Madanpur Khadar — now functioning as a relief camp — played with stones alongside her six-year-old sister, while their mother, Kamlesh, 30, fretted about their schooling. “We were barely managing before the flood swept away everything. My daughters will have to stay home until we can save enough for them to rejoin school,” she said.So far, the Directorate of Education hasn’t issued any circular regarding govt schools that are accommodating the flood-affected people switching to the online mode. However, some schools, including SBV, Madanpur Khadar, have decided on virtual classes, as confirmed by its principal, Bharat Lal Meena. For families like Nandini’s, though, the arrangement still doesn’t work. Inside their tent, Nandini clutched the lone surviving Hindi textbook. She admits she doesn’t enjoy studying much, yet the thought of missing school and being cut off from her friends leaves her despairing.Jiten, 7, a student of a nearby municipal primary school, wears the only pair of school shoes his parents could save. His brother, Hiten,10, says, “I’ll miss going to school.” With their books and uniforms gone, the siblings fear they won’t be able to go back to classes. An MCD education department official said for now the corporation was focusing on evacuation but assured that it would address the problem of children missing school in the next 15 days.In the queue at a water tank outside the same camp, Rakhi, 15, balanced used plates while still wearing her physical training uniform. A Class X student, she fears her education may get stalled. “With my notes and books gone, I’ve been left with nothing. My parents are daily wage workers, and we are four siblings, so it’s difficult for them to provide for all of us, and now it looks like my whole year’s work will go to waste,” she says.In the enveloping gloom, Puja at the Geeta Colony flyover camp shared her relief at having saved her son’s essentials. “We managed to grab the bags and books just as the water reached our knees. Once we return home, he can resume his studies,” she smiled.
