All summer long, the preparation of schools for the new academic year. AT last days August head of the education department Sergei Pavlyuk reported that all schools are ready to start the educational process. There is no doubt that everything inside complies with the standards - that is, the supervisory authorities with their stringent requirements. Lighting, too, at the very least adjusted. But will it be comfortable for children to get to the temple of knowledge? In the first days of September, we drove through several schools to see and evaluate with our own eyes.

Started from the 9th school, where the issue of a safe sidewalk was being resolved for more than a year. Now he is - however, due to the fact that the residents of the neighboring house did not want to share the front garden, he turned out to be “wandering” from one side of the street to the other. Moreover, one section runs along the roadway and is fenced with light metal posts, which significantly narrow the roadway. The question is how long they will last and whether they will not become a victim of inept drivers - or local residents who have been deprived of free parking on a municipal road. Pedestrian crossings, however, have been made in all the right places. And the exit from the sidewalk to the school is decorated (though not the first time) with steps, as requested by the chairman of the city council, Irina Zotova.

And here is the approach to 22nd school, dismantled by "Vladimirteplogaz" and, contrary to promises, not restored, even on a dry day is terrifying. It is easy to imagine what kind of clay mess both local residents and children will have to walk on - to school and kindergarten after the first rain.

In the 15th, 19th and 14th schools there is order with approaches, as well as with pedestrian crossings - wherever possible, there are zebras, signs, and even speed bumps. True, the sidewalks on the main streets, along which schoolchildren mostly walk, leave much to be desired - as, for example, on the street. Chernyshevsky, where there has been no new asphalt since time immemorial.

Or on the approaches from the residential area to school number 18. But near the gates they sprinkled asphalt crumbs, which will help to keep the schoolchildren's shoes dry at least for a while. Pedestrian crossing - equipped.

Like the neighboring 4th school. Before it, part of the path can be done along the new sidewalk along the street. Degtyarev. There is also hope that transport stops will be brought to mind - now in that part of the city they are covered with large rubble, and in order to get to them, you must first get off the sidewalk, overcome the "mud barrier" and, having a good run, jump onto a tall curb.

5th school even at a cursory glance, it seeks a major overhaul, but there are no funds for it. In addition, as they say in the UGH, the next tests are waiting for her soon - utility networks will be changed nearby, and it is difficult to predict what the adjacent territory will turn into. In the meantime, all the paths are neatly covered with asphalt chips. To prevent motorists snooping in front of the school, who want to save a couple of tens of meters, metal fences are installed on both sides of the path. There is a crossing across the road.

At the 21st school At first glance, everything is neatly paved. But it is noticeable that the approach to the gate is much lower than the road, and, perhaps, in heavy rains, there will be puddles here. But the pedestrian here is beautiful, with speed bumps.

Artificial bumps are made and at the 24th school, and there are signs - but there are almost no "zebras"; the markings on the roadway are almost erased. Nice transition— a little further, at the crossroads. There is asphalt near the school itself, but along the street along which the schoolchildren are just walking, there is essentially no sidewalk: an earthen path, which in the rain will turn into mud, strewn with slippery autumn leaves. We did not notice any street lamps along it; only two lighting fixtures are built into the wall of the school.

bypassing educational establishments, ran into the Center additional education « Rodnichok, where they also recently made a sidewalk and a “local” storm drain. What has become better than it was - no doubt. But the performance style is reminiscent of stops in the northern part of the city - around the crushed stone with a fist, and the sidewalk rests on an open "unorganized space".

At the 23rd school at first glance, everything is in order - an adjustable transition, neat paths, a beautiful area not only behind the fence, but also in front of it. The only sadness is that the building is located in a lowland, and, perhaps, in heavy rain, streams of water will flow to it, which the storm cannot cope with.

As one of the directors admitted, explaining the desire to close the territory in the evenings and on weekends, the worst enemies of the school are local residents. So they strive either to drink beer on the sports ground, or to walk the dog, or to attach construction waste to the school container.

We found evidence for this in 8th school around 7 pm: while on one side the students were warming up on outdoor exercise machines, on the other side two girls were walking a Labrador. An unfortunate cactus torn out of a pot was adorned in the most visible place on the old, peeling fence. Periodically, the territory was crossed by local residents, apparently, shortening the path. (However, even on the 15th the gate was open for those wishing to cut a corner or just take a walk).

As for the sidewalks, the school, at first glance, is easy to get to, but right at the gate there is parking and a patch for a car to turn around, whose owners came to stock up on nearby shops or brought their offspring to the lessons. Surely schoolchildren-pedestrians in the mornings have to dodge the cars of the parents of classmates who are not used to doing a couple of tens of meters on their own two feet.

And in the 11th school the problem of the preservation of the territory was solved radically - by completely closing access after a certain hour (the same was done in the 14th and 22nd). For especially stubborn local residents, they put up an announcement that there was no through passage through the yard.

The conclusion that suggests itself after our short expedition is obvious - there is barely enough money in the budget for the most necessary things. But in general, schools and their yards look pretty decent. What do our readers think? Tell us in the comments about the problems of the schools your children go to or which are in your neighborhood.

Many of us cannot even imagine what some students have to go through on their way to school. We are used to the fact that the most difficult obstacle on the way to school for our children is to cross the road. I assure you that these are trifles of life compared to what other children encounter on the way to school. Check out this photo collection and see for yourself.

Banpo Elementary School is halfway up the mountain, and their path winds its way up dangerous cliffs, through passes and tunnels. This paved path is less than 0.5 meters wide, which means children have to huddle up against the rock to squeeze through. This "road" appeared 40 years ago as an irrigation ditch, and although there is another, safer route, it takes two hours. The only thing that somehow reassures parents is that 49 children are accompanied by an experienced teacher.

To some, this story may seem incredible, but for children from such regions, such a road is a common routine on the path to knowledge. Much saferstudy in New Zealand .

You will be surprised to learn how dangerous roads some children have to go to school.

For example, in Sumatra, Indonesia, about 20 students with a strong will to learn must walk a tightrope one meter above a river to reach their class in the city of Padang.

By the way, that's not all - after crossing the river, they still have to go 11 km through the jungle. Thus, local children have been going to school for two years, after the rains washed away the suspension bridge that was located here.

Of course, you can get to the other side in another way, but then it will take them half an hour more to get to the other side.

And these children do not want to be late, so they choose a shorter but dangerous route.

But there is good news: Indonesia's largest steelmaker, PT Krakatau Steel, has decided to build a new bridge to replace an old one that was damaged by floods in January 2012.

In another Indonesian village, children ride their bicycles quietly along the aqueduct that separates the village of Suro from the village of Plempungan in Java.

Children prefer this way, because. it is shorter, although this aqueduct is not designed for people to walk on it.

And even though it's dangerous, kids prefer it over the detour, which is 6km longer.

In the Philippines, students elementary school use inflatable car tires to cross a river on their way to school in a remote village in Rizal Province, east of Manila.

And if the river overflows due to heavy rains, students have to miss classes or take refuge in relatives' houses.

Filipino kids at least have tires. And these Vietnamese kids don't even have that. Dozens of children from grades 1 to 5 swim twice a day to get to and from school. In the town of Trong Hoa, the road to school passes through the river. And so that clothes and textbooks do not get wet, the children put them in bags and swim across the river almost naked. On the other side, they take out clothes and put them on. This river is 15 meters wide and about 20 meters deep.

These gondola bridges are quite common in Nepal, where there are practically no good roads. Children use them to get to the other side. For decades, this lack of safety measures has led to numerous accidents. Fortunately, several charitable organizations are now trying to build safe crossings.

In Colombia, the children of several families living in the rainforest, 65 km southeast of Bogota, ride to school on ropes like these that connect the two sides of the village. This is the only way to get to school. The steel cables are 800 meters long and suspended 400 meters above the Rio Negro. This girl Daisy Mora and her brother Yamid are moving at a speed of 80 km/h. Yamid is sitting in a bag, because he is too small (5 years old) to cross the river on his own. The journey takes 60 seconds.

But back to China...

These children live in a boarding school in Pili, and every day they have to overcome the road over dangerous cliffs.

This road is located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Children must cross these cliffs once a semester.

Children also have to ford the cold waters of the river, then cross a 200-meter bridge and four narrow bridges. The journey takes two days!

Test your observation

The rains have done their job, schoolchildren walk in rubber boots. New shoes, bought by September 1, are in the closet ... How else to get to school dry? But, there are schools that will be problematic to get to even in rubber boots. We have compiled a rating of the most difficult paths to knowledge.

No. 5. If you swim to the fence, you can put on heels

In the fifth place of the dirtiest roads to knowledge, we have located the road to

school number 4

from Pervomaisky market. Puddles here end exactly at the gates of the school. In general, the area is not distinguished by cleanliness, and students from all over the "North" are being pulled into the school. Parents whose children go to this school are unenviable. Do not overwash, they also stomp in the corridor ...

No. 4. Life raft for schoolchildren

On the fourth line of the ranking - school number 17

Here the problem is to cross a huge puddle at the entrance from Volgo-Donskaya street. The detour is not close, you will have to go around the entire school yard, and then make your way through the parking lot densely packed with cars, which is from the side of the Rodina recreation center.

The residents even made a “life raft”, but it’s unlikely that it will be possible to get to the school clean, and if a car also drives along the road ... Dirt will drip from the student under the desk, poor cleaning lady!

No. 3. Don't swim in the puddle!

Honorable third place school number 23. Until you go around all the puddles, you will be late for school.

Children climb on a pile of rubble and asphalt crumbs. Apparently, following the example of school No. 4, they wanted to transform the road here, but their hands did not reach.

Puddles are here on all sides. I would wave in a straight line ... But, my mother will scold me for dirty shoes. It's better to be late for class!

And at the house number 3 on Stroiteley Street, a “lake” appeared at all. There is no data yet on whether it is suitable for swimming.

No. 2. Do not fly over, do not step over, only wade.

School No. 24 is in second place. It would seem that the city center! If in schools No. 23, 4 and 17 it is possible to bypass puddles in principle, then the road to this school lies only through mud and water.

The passage from Schmidt Street is blocked by a huge puddle. O! Some a kind person he pulled himself up, laying planks under the "raft", or maybe this is the head teacher of the school?

In the rain, it grows to a large size, and there is no other passage. Mothers of first-graders are dragging in their arms, strong Kovrov women!

No. 1. Pass the quest - sit down at the desk.

Leads our ranking school number 5. Not the road to school, but an exciting quest!

Here is a wash for you

And puddles (we apologize for the tautology - such is life).

And even four-legged friends. Maybe the students who didn't complete the quest went wild on the street?

If the guess is correct, then as soon as they make the road, the puddles will dry out, and the tails of the "ball" ones will fall off ...

In principle, the entire "six" could lead the rating of the dirtiest roads, and the most no sidewalks, and much more honorable. But that's a completely different story. In the meantime - drum roll - our "ze best ov ze best".

School No. 9 won in the nomination "Puddle of Knowledge".

Actually, the school is located in such a way that rainwater from Komsomolskaya Street flows directly to the entrance to the temple of knowledge. In general, the school itself is in a big puddle.

There is a whole range of problems here. There is no sidewalk, children go from Komsomolskaya to school right along the roadway.

On the other hand, there is the ill-fated staircase, on which the students from the “maleevka” climb.

Photo by Alexey Golubev

Our parents also had to walk more than one kilometer in the rain, snow, wind or scorching sun to get to school. And they walked. We've been unbelievably lucky.

I hope that even in the outback of Belarus there are no children left who are forced to get to school with difficulty. In extreme cases, school transport is organized.

But there are many schools in the world that are not easy to get to. But the desire of children to gain knowledge is so great that every day the difficult path is overcome.

The path to knowledge along the mountain path. And so every day.

In Indonesia, children have to go through the jungle on a cable car to get to school and cross a river on a broken suspension bridge. True, they chose the dangerous path across the bridge themselves, so as not to spend another half an hour on the road.

In another Indonesian village, children travel to school via an aqueduct that separates the village of Suro from the village of Plempungan in Java. Some on foot, some on bikes.

And although the aqueduct is not designed for people to walk on it, the children choose this particular path, which is 6 km. shorter than bypass.

In the Philippines, children have to travel across the river on inflatable tires. Dangerous adventure. True, in case of showers, children stay at home, skipping lessons.

The local community asked the government to build a suspension bridge and make the crossing easier, faster and safer. But while the children are swimming for knowledge.

Several families in Colombia live in the rainforest. It is the only way for children to get to school. At the same time, the girl is “carrying” her 5-year-old brother in the bag.

A boarding school in Pyli, every day the students have to overcome the road over dangerous cliffs.

And this girl goes to school in the midst of a conflict between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the refugee camp in Shuafat.

I hope that this path to knowledge will not be in vain, and that these children will be able to make sure that the next generation of schoolchildren will not have to overcome so many obstacles.