A school for the underprivileged at Indian farmers’ protest site

More than 160 children from nearby slums attend a makeshift school run by the protesting farmers at Singhu border outside New Delhi.

It was in one of those tents that a makeshift school was started for underprivileged children, mostly from the nearby slums.

Gurdeep Singh, a 37-year-old farmer from Punjab state’s Rupnagar district, says the idea to start classes came after they saw poor children collecting plastic bottles at the protest site.

“A volunteer brought them to the tent and that is how the school started.

The makeshift school at the protest site first started as a library [Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera]Though the makeshift school does not have a name, the tent is now called “Sanjhi Sathh”, meaning a common place, to recreate a village tradition of holding discussions on important issues.

Neither the farmers nor the children at the makeshift school have any idea how long the protest will continue [Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera]“After remaining away from schools for months together, when I came to know about this place from my neighbourhood friends, I couldn’t stop myself from coming here the very next day,” says a beaming Tiwari, who aims to become a doctor.

Volunteers say they are in touch with non-governmental organisations who can help the children [Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera]“I love studying whether it is in school or here in the tent.

Volunteer teacher Kaur says many children coming to the tent have never been to school but can have a good future if nurtured.

Neither the protesters nor the children at the makeshift school have any idea how long the protests will continue.