KARACHI: Under the trees on the walkway towards the entrance of Karachi University (KU), there is an informal academy commonly known in students and passerby as ‘KU-Street School’.
A group of students opened the small academy at Karachi University’s main entrance called Silver Jubilee gate with only two poor children and started teaching them during their free time.
These students belong to Karachi University’s different departments and faculties have started teaching beggar children and the ones of poor background who are unable to join schools due to financial reasons.
The number of students is increasing day by day and now the figure stands over 60 who were attending classes regularly.
Interestingly, more than 10 students have successfully secured admission in government schools as they were well-prepared to understand the basic education.
This scribe, accompanied by a donor interested in donating books, copies, pencils and other necessary items required for basic studies of these students. He delivered these items to one of the female teacher of KU-Street School.
Criminology Department student, Aqsa Mehboob Akhtar told Daily Times that initially a group of three students started this ‘KU-Street School’ with their own pockets and there were no donors at the initial stage. They took up the task of teaching these children while most of them belonged to low-cast Hindu community and some of them were from poor segment of Muslim families, She informed.
“We will also provide them with some medical care as these children don’t have shoes to wear. They attend classes bear-footed and consequently suffer injuries,” she said.
“We provide cloths, shoes, schoolbags and books to those students who are enrolled with the school,” Akhter added.
About lifestyle of these poor students she said, most of the students suffer from skin related diseases due to bad hygiene are infected with seasonal illnesses.
“We are planning to arrange medical assistance to these students as most of them may not have been vaccinated properly,” she informed.
“Now, there are few donors who are coming to contribute in our cause as we are adding two to three new students on daily basis,” she said.