An ingenious idea of a pushcart classroom made it possible for children from poor communities to gain access to premium quality books for learning.
The inspiring story of the pushcart classroom
A group of innovative young individuals from the remote municipality of Alburquerque in Bohol, Philippines, came up with the idea of the pushcart classroom. With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting hard in every country worldwide, education was placed on a standstill. Schools were closed indefinitely, children are left bored, and most of them are succumbing to electronic gadgets instead of reading books. In order for stock knowledge not to deteriorate, a group of youth students innovated the “kariton klasrum” (pushcart classroom).
The project is like a miniature model of a mobile library. Premium quality books from good samaritans, issued textbooks from public schools, educational materials, and a table and chair filled the mini mobile classroom. The goal of the group led by Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman Kien Alphe Garsuta is to reach out to children in remote communities in Alburquerque, making their barangay, Baranggay Bahi as an example.
If every youth leader from each baranggay in Bohol follows the same initiative, then a lot of children will certainly benefit, especially those who opted out in enrolling for this coming school year.
Mobile library to a mobile classroom
The first concept Gastura had in mind is to reconstruct a generic pushcart into something that can carry several textbooks for various grade levels, which they can easily push around the barrio. However, after serious deliberations and with the consideration of children who will not able to enroll for this coming school year, the group decided to go bigger by doing a mobile classroom instead.
Along with the textbooks provided from public schools in Bohol, the volunteers will sit down in session with children in a barrio they will be visiting, and conduct small talk classes. The program was happily welcomed by parents and barangay officials on which the mobile classroom attends to.
Some even consider this set-up more fun since children will be learning around with their friends and neighbors from the same community.
