essay on the documentary most dangerous ways to school Himalayas
Answers
Answer:Erstwhile, children’s need to cross many miles to attend schools in many parts of the world is still real.
The Most Dangerous Ways to School is a documentary comprising 13 episodes with a sublime IMDB rating of 9.2. Each episode contains the story of a particular area where going to school sounds like an expedition. They might have to climb mountainous, fight through icy wetlands or swim across the river. When a child leaves home for school there is no assurance whether he or she will return home. But this adversity couldn’t stop them from pursuing the dream.
If you are told you have to travel four days to reach your school in shivering cold weather, someone may be bewildered at that. At first, I was also. But in Ladakh, India this is the destiny of few school-going children.
They have to cross a road named Chadar covered in ice which is almost 100 km long and takes almost four days to cross. School going kids and their parents have to perform this formidable journey twice a year to reach their boarding school located in the city Leh. Sometimes the temperature decreases 30 degrees below zero and snowfalls hinder the journey.
If the temperature increases that create another trouble; melting ice makes the road slippery. It hardens the chances of survival but there is no alternative for these people of Ladakh.
Meanwhile, in Kumpur, Nepal the scenario is different. It tells the story of another uncertain expedition where you need to rely on fortune to reach your school. The mountainous village of Kumpur is more than 4000 meters above sea level. Six children get dressed after helping their family with chores in the field.
After an hour-long hike in the hill which is full of risk, they need to cross the river Trishuli using a peculiar method. They have to cross it by a basket, locally known as tuin, attached by two rusty ropes. Sometimes the tuin remains on the other hand of the river after being used by someone else and in that case, the students become unable to cross the river. It is operated by the elder ones and the younger ones stay in the basket.
Crossing the river students have to rely on the drivers to give them a lift. Finally, after reaching school they are even deprived of nutritious food. This journey to school and returning home takes almost eight hours per day.
In Tunnel, Mongolia, the documentary captures the nomadic lifestyle. A child has to cross ten-kilometer of icy roads to reach school in Tunkhel. Their school does not have enough rooms for classes. So in the morning, it arranges classes for the junior classes and in the afternoon for the senior. Students even have to ride on horseback to reach their school. In the snowy paths, they always have to be careful while riding and confronting the risks of wild dog attacks.
Moreover, in the noon when the ice starts melting it creates more complexities.
In Omijakon, Russia students will be only allowed to excuse school when the weather drops below minus 50 degrees. Omijakon is located in Yakutia, the coldest region of Russia on the banks of the Indigirka River with only 500 residents. Extreme cold makes life extreme here.
Children have to rely on only one bus available in this region. Getting up early they need to meltwater from ice collected from the river. Continuous physical movement is the best way to survive according to their belief. They even need to put on six layers of clothing.
In the African region of Dorn Savannahs, Kenya, going to school for the tribal Massai children is laborious. After waking up a Masai child get ready for their school. There is always an absence of urban facilities in their home. Rather they have to cross dangerous paths through the savannah. Getting injured or being killed by a wild animal is always possible.
Burning through the savannahs they reach the infamous Leopard valley. It takes a lot of courage to go through. If luck favors they might find fruits on the journey. Most of the time they are incapable of reaching school in time but their teacher is generous towards them.
These stories are truly inspiring in the sense that even risking life in every single step couldn’t cease their journey. It also portrays the struggle of young students in the Philippines, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and many more in respective episodes.
Shafin Saif is currently studying International Relations at Jahangirnagar University.