The World's Youngest Headmaster - A Shining Example of Defeating Poverty

This made me smile yesterday.

At just 16 years of age, Babar Ali is in charge of teaching hundreds of students in his family's backyard, helping to run classes for poor children from his village in India.

Babar Ali, as you will gather by now, isn't your average teenager. Coming from Murshidabad, a small town in West Bengal, he starts his day early, helping his family with the household chores and, with the help of an auto rickshaw, then embarking on a six-mile journey to the Raj Govinda school as a student, eager to learn.

When his day at the Raj Govinda school is over, Babar Ali then heads off back to his home and, at four o'clock every afternoon, summons the children from his village to his house, beginning classes and sharing what he had learnt earlier in his school to his poverty-stricken 'students', giving them something to look forward to even in the harshest of conditions.

The school now has 800 students, all from poor families. And including Babar Ali, there are now 10 teachers at the school, who are also students at school or college, who give their time voluntarily, and funding from donations means that even books and food are free.

Babar Ali's work has not been ignored in the community, having been recognised already in the authorities. His unofficial school has helped increase literacy rates in the area, and he has won multiple awards for his work.

In an area where families cannot even afford to send their children to school, even when it is free (Babar Ali still has to pay for his uniform and transportation even though the Raj Govinda school is free), this is a remarkable tale of defeating poverty with the help of education. Many of the children who attend his school help their poor families with their chores and work throughout the day, not having the chance to recieve the proper education that we all can take for granted sometimes. Babar Ali's story is a brilliant example of change, and can help better the lives of hundreds of children who are hoping to achieve for the future.

BBC News has a link with a video showing students from Plymouth quizzing Babar Ali about coping with being a teenage headmaster and his future prospects here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8302225.stm