Non Formal Education
School on Wheels is a mobile classroom housed in a specially designed bus, created to reach some of the most unreached out-of-school children—including children living on the streets and pavements, children of migrant and construction-site families, and child labourers between the ages of 3 and 14 years.
Launched in 1998 as a flagship model of Door Step School, School on Wheels transforms buses into safe, fully equipped learning spaces, bringing structured education directly to children who have no access to schools or community centres due to extreme space and mobility constraints, especially in dense urban areas like Mumbai.
Designed for out-of-school children, this programme helps them acquire essential reading, writing and numeracy skills.
Currently, six School on Wheels buses—five urban and one rural—operate across nearly 20–21 street communities, reaching approximately 15,000 children each year. Each bus runs four learning sessions daily, with classes of 2.5 hours, and supports around 25 children per session. All the programs such as Balwadi, FLN, Reading Programs are conducted for the children by first easing them into studies with Non-formal classes. Once enrolled the children are gradually taken ahead by the teacher. After the children are through with FLN skills, they are also encouraged and provided all the support to enrol in formal schools. Street children also receive computer classes, twice a week to encourage the love for learning and introduction to digital education.
By taking education to where children live and work, School on Wheels removes barriers of distance, safety, and infrastructure—ensuring that even the most marginalized children have a consistent opportunity to learn, grow, and transition into formal education.
