MarieDevore at 09:38, 21 February 2026

2026-02-21T09:38:05Z

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{{short description|Private school in Delhi, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox school
| name = Free School Under the Bridge Delhi
| image =
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| location = [[East Delhi]], [[Delhi]]
| country = India
| coordinates = {{coord|28.6229|77.2758|display=inline.title}}
| other_name = 
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| type = [[Private school]]
| religious_affiliation =
| established = 2009
| founder = Laxmi Chandra
| closed =
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| staff = 6
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| campus_type = [[Urban design|Urban]]
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| affiliation = Unrecognised
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}}

The '''Free School Under the Bridge''' is a [[private school]] in [[Delhi]], India. It provides free-of-cost [[tuition centre|tuition]] to underprivileged children. Almost all the students come from the [[slum]]s situated adjacent to the [[Yamuna river]] and are enrolled in nearby [[state school|government-run schools]]. Started in 2006 by grocery shop owner Rajesh Kumar Sharma with just two children, the school now has a strength of more than 300 students. Seven teachers volunteering in their free time help these students to better understand their school curriculum. The school is run in two shifts with a morning shift for boys and an afternoon shift for girls. It has no permanent building and its makeshift campus is situated under a [[Delhi Metro]] bridge with pillars serving as its boundary marker and blackboards painted on a wall of Yamuna Bank Metro Depot. It receives no help from either the government or any [[non-governmental organisation]].

== History ==
The school was founded in 2006 by Rajesh Kumar Sharma, a grocery shop owner, for underprivileged children. Originally from the [[Hathras district]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]], Sharma could not complete his [[Bachelor of Science]] due to financial reasons. The idea to start a school for children from poor families struck him while he was wandering near the Yamuna River and saw children playing in dust and mud near an under-construction metro bridge. He asked the parents why their children were not attending school, and they expressed their helplessness at being unable to afford their children's education and how there was no school in the neighbourhood.<ref name="Metro2017">{{Cite news |url=https://metro.co.uk/2017/01/19/teacher-has-been-holding-free-lessons-for-slum-children-under-a-bridge-in-india-6391182/ |title=Teacher has been holding free lessons for slum children under a bridge in India |last=Meyjes |first=Toby |date=19 January 2017 |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref> Sharma began the school by teaching two children. He believes that "no one should be deprived of education due to poverty and to fulfil his or her dream" and devotes more than 50 hours in a week to teaching in the school.<ref name="IndianExpress2019">{{Cite news |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2019/sep/24/delhi-shopkeeper-runs-school-under-metro-bridge-for-300-poor-children-2038398.html |title=Delhi shopkeeper runs school under Metro bridge for 300 poor children |date=24 September 2019 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=25 September 2019 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]]}}</ref>

== Programme ==
The school provides free tuition to children already enrolled in nearby [[state school|public schools]], helping them better understand their school curriculum. It tutors students in learning subjects like mathematics, English, [[Hindi language|Hindi]], science, history and geography.<ref name="Aljazeera2016">{{Cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/05/day-delhi-bridge-school-poor-160511154423330.html |title=A day in Delhi's under-the-bridge school for the poor |last=Shafi |first=Showkat |date=16 May 2016 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> Students are encouraged to get enrolled in nearby government-run schools as it provides them opportunity to avail benefits like [[Midday Meal Scheme|mid-day meal]]s and free textbooks, among others. Many parents express their reluctance to send their children for tuition, as they need them to either work part-time jobs to support their families, or to take care of their younger siblings at home. Only after extensive persuasion do such parents allow their children to attend the school.<ref name="BetterIndia2017">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/105689/grocery-store-owner-free-school-under-a-bridge-delhi/ |title=This Grocery Store Owner Has Been Teaching over 300 Underprivileged Kids under a Bridge for a Decade |last=Patwardhan |first=Aditi |date=20 June 2017 |publisher=[[The Better India]] |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref> Almost all the students come from the slums situated close to the Yamuna river.<ref name="IndiaTodayVideo">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/free-school-under-the-bridge-yammuna-bank-rajesh-kumar-sharma-847990-2017-05-02 |title=Free School Under the Bridge, a unique initiative by grocery store owner |date=2 May 2017 |type=video |language=English, Hindi |work=[[India Today]] |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref>

The school is operated in two separate shifts: the morning batch from 9 a.m. to 11{{nbsp}}a.m. is for boys and the afternoon batch from 2 p.m. to 4:30{{nbsp}}p.m. is for girls.<ref name="Jagran2019">{{Cite news |url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/news/delhi-shopkeeper-runs-makeshift-school-under-metro-bridge-for-over-300-poor-children-151587 |title=Delhi shopkeeper runs makeshift school under metro bridge for over 300 poor children |date=23 September 2019 |work=[[Dainik Jagran]] |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref> More than 300 students of the age group four to fourteen attend the school. Seven teachers besides Sharma volunteer to teach in their free time.<ref name="Jagran2019" /> Students bring their own textbooks and they are taught in groups.

== Campus ==
The school is situated under a [[Delhi Metro]] bridge close to [[Yamuna Bank metro station]] in [[East Delhi]]. It is a makeshift structure with a metro bridge functioning as overhead roof and bridge pillars serving its boundaries. Five blackboards have been painted on a wall of Yamuna Bank Metro Depot.<ref name="HindustanTimes2015">{{Cite news |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/a-school-under-metro-bridge-teaches-these-delhi-slum-children/story-Qr3EV279SarAME4K6N8orL.html |title=A school under Metro bridge teaches these Delhi slum children |last=Saha |first=Abhishek |date=5 July 2015 |work=[[The Hindustan Times]] |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref> There are separate toilets for boys and girls in the proximity of school. There are no benches and students sit on scraps of carpet or just the dirt. It receives no help or funding from either the government or any non-governmental organisation (NGO).<ref name="News182009">{{Cite news |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/under-delhi-metro-bridge-shopkeeper-runs-makeshift-school-for-over-300-poor-children-2318439.html |title=Under Delhi Metro Bridge, Shopkeeper Runs Makeshift School for Over 300 Poor Children |date=22 September 2019 |work=[[News 18]] |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> A few NGOs approached Sharma to associate with the school but he rejected their help because of their lack of commitment towards the goal of the school and their questionable interests. Only non-financial contributions such as packaged food, water bottles, chairs and carpets among others are accepted.<ref name="IndianExpress2019" />

== See also ==
* [[List of schools in Delhi]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Educational institutions established in 2006]]
[[Category:Schools in East Delhi]]
[[Category:2006 establishments in Delhi]]
[[Category:Poverty in India]]

Free School Under the Bridge - Revision history

MarieDevore at 09:38, 21 February 2026