20 of the Most Dangerous and Unusual Journeys To School in the World

 

How do you get to school each day? Perhaps your parents drive you, you walk a few blocks on solid concrete, or you take the air conditioned bus with leather seats and 100% protection against the elements. These are the normal means of transportation to school that make your life so much easier but are often taken for granted.
School is important all over the world, including areas where paved roads and public transportation do not exist. Children living in rural or poverty-ridden areas face a much

more treacherous trek to school each morning, but somehow these inspirational kids get up the courage and strength to make the trip day after day.
What if it took you 5 hours to travel to school each way, would you be willing to make the trip? Children in Gula, China do it. And they are not the only students around the world willing to face a few risks in order to reap the rewards of an education.
Here we detail 20 of the most dangerous and unusual journeys students must take in order to make it to class on time.

Zhang Jiawan Village, Southern China
Children must climb up unsecured wooden ladders in order to reach school in this rural region of China.

 
Imaginachina/Rex Features
Gula, China

Children must travel along a narrow path that measures only 1 foot wide for 5-hours in order to attend a remote school in Gula, China.

     


Zanskar, Indian Himalayas

Kids have to be good at hiking to make it to school tucked away in the Himalayas. But since it’s a boarding school at least they don’t have to make the exhausting trip often.

Timothy Allen

Lebak, Indonesia 

Children walk, or rather climb, across a damaged suspension bridge to get to school.

After these photos went viral, PT Krakutau Steel, Indonesia’s largest producer of steel, stepped in and built a beautiful new bridge. The children now enjoy a much safer commute to school.


Reuters
Vivek Prakash
Rio Negro River, Columbia 

Children glide accross an 800m steel cable hitched 400m off the ground.

Christopher Otto
Sri Lanka

A group of schoolgirls use a thin plank as a bridge to cross The 16th century Galle Fort located in the heart of Sri Lanka.

Nico Fredia
Beawiharta
Riau, Indonesia 

Imagine taking a canoe to school, it’s real life for students in Riau.

India

The roots of this giant tree have created the most beautiful of natural bridges. Thanks to this act of nature, these children have a pathway to school.

The Atlantic

Beldanga, India
Children on a “Tuktuk” travel to school with backpacks in tow.

Dilwar Mandal
Pili, China

While this may look like the most difficult part of the journey, it is only one small stretch of the total 125-mile journey these children make through the mountains on their way to boarding school.

Delhi, India

These children rely on a bus with a lot of horse power–in fact this cart full of kids is being pulled by a horse.

Reuters
Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia

These children are educated and trained for the circus. On their way to and from school they must scale across a tightrope suspended 30 feet above a river.

Pretty impressive!


Panjalu Images
Myanmar

Forget about riding the bus, this little girl rides her bull to school!

Andrey
Sichuan Province, China

Even in the frigid snowy weather a broken bridge must make do if this little girl, bundled up in pink, wants to make it to school.

Kerala, India

Boating to school sounds like a nice way to start and end your day.

Santosh Sugumar
Pangururan, Indonesia

This wooden boat is packed full up to the roof before heading off to school.

Muhammad Buchari
Cilangkap Village, Indonesia

In order to attend school across the Ciherang River, bamboo rafts were made into a makeshift bridge. Just make sure to wear your rain boots!

Rizal Province, Philippines

River tubing isn’t just for summer vacation, these children use inflated tire tubes to get to school across the river.

Bullit Marquez/AP
Dennis M. Sabangan/EPA
Sources: Earth Porm, Amazing Planet


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