Source: UNICEF, ILO, and UNICEF Innocenti
On the outskirts of Kolkata lie vast brickfields that have become home to many migrant communities. Families live surrounded by heat, dust, and smoke, in makeshift homes built from tin, wood and broken bricks. The air is heavy with sediment from the kilns.
Each year, families travel here in search of work. Limited income and few alternative employment opportunities can keep families returning to seasonal brickfield work.
For many, work begins in childhood. From as young as five, children spend their days carrying and turning bricks in the sun, their small hands fitting easily between the rows as each brick dries.
For generations, children in the brickfields have gone without consistent access to education.
The Brickfield Schools Program responds directly to this disruption, bringing education into the communities where migrant families live and work.
Run by the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre, flexible, open-air classrooms give children a few hours away from labour each day to continue learning during the brick-making season.
Through a structured 25-week program, students build literacy, numeracy, confidence, and social skills. Teachers also help children prepare to enter or return to government schools and support families to secure the documents needed for formal enrolment.
By adapting education to the realities of seasonal migration, the program helps children maintain continuity in their learning when conventional schooling is out of reach.
Open-air classrooms are established within brickfield communities, allowing children to learn close to where they live. Lessons are adapted for students who have missed school, speak different languages, or are entering a classroom for the first time.
Teachers prepare children to enter or return to government schools when their families move home. They assess learning needs, build students’ confidence, and help families obtain the documents required for enrolment.
Teachers receive ongoing training in child-centred learning, classroom management, leadership, and lesson delivery. Many come from nearby communities and understand the children’s languages, cultures, and circumstances.
The program works with parents and caregivers to strengthen support for children’s education, particularly for girls. Adult literacy and livelihood training also help women build skills, financial security, and greater participation in family decisions.
Health camps and awareness sessions connect families with check-ups, vaccinations, and information about hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention, helping create the stability children need to learn.
For much of her childhood, Ananya* moved between her family’s home village and temporary work sites. Each migration disrupted her education and increased the risk that she would drop out of school altogether.
When her family arrived at a brickfield, Ananya joined an open-air classroom operated through the Brickfield Schools Program. Her teachers quickly recognised her commitment to learning and helped her transition into a government school.
Moving into formal education brought new challenges. Years of disrupted schooling had left gaps in her learning, so Ananya continued attending the program’s learning centre for additional academic support.
She is now preparing to complete her final year of school and is on track to become the first person in her family to complete a full school education.
Ananya’s journey demonstrates what can become possible when flexible learning, sustained support, and a child’s own determination come together.
*Name changed for privacy.
Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible in Australia.
"*" indicates required fields
