Bus, Boat or Box - Schools of the World
Comprehension Questions
1. The author gives several reasons for needing an alternative to a school building. Give three
of these.
2. Who is Inderjit Khurana?
3. How do we know that platform schools have been successful?
4. Why are the children in the Stung Mean Chey slum normally not in school?
5. How does the Cambodian school encourage parents to send their children to the school?
6. Why might the writer start the first paragraph after the ‘Flooded and Bombed’ subheading
with asking the reader to imagine being in a natural disaster?
7. What is the ‘School in a Box’? Give three facts about it.
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Bus, Boat or Box - Schools of the World Comprehension Questions
8. What is one technology used in the boat schools programme?
9. Name two difficulties experienced by those running the Cave School in China.
10. What facts are given about the Lodz ghetto education system?
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Bus, Boat or Box - Schools of the World
Comprehension - Answers
1. The author gives several reasons for needing an alternative to a school building. Give three
of these.
A new school might be needed because of a natural disaster, a war or because the
children live in an area far away from regular schools. They might also live in an
impoverished area where education is too expensive.
2. Who is Inderjit Khurana?
The founder of the platform schools in India, a teacher.
3. How do we know that platform schools have been successful?
Students might explain that the author tells us about the growth of the schools from
one platform to many. Over 6000 students have been taught at the schools over the
last 30 years. The group has expanded to include job training schemes for older pupils.
4. Why are the children in the Stung Mean Chey slum normally not in school?
The article mentions that they are normally working to help their families. They work
collecting aluminium cans for the recyclers. They might also mention the fact that
schools require uniform and supplies which can be expensive.
5. How does the Cambodian school encourage parents to send their children to the school?
They provide free rice meals and give a monthly payment for keeping the pupils
in school.
6. Why might the writer start the first paragraph after the ‘Flooded and Bombed’ subheading
with asking the reader to imagine being in a natural disaster?
A variety of answers here but pupils might state that this encourages the reader to
think about the circumstances some people have to be educated in. The author is also
referencing the ‘flooded’ of the title by referring to a natural disaster.
7. What is the ‘School in a Box’? Give three facts about it.
The ‘School in a Box’ is a UNICEF incentive, taken to areas where schools are closed for
reasons of natural disaster or war. The box can be used as a blackboard when black
paint is applied and contains all the important materials for learning (workbooks,
pencils, rulers etc).
8. What is one technology used in the boat schools programme?
The boats use wireless technologies and solar panels for electricity. They contain four
computers for the use of the pupils in lessons.
9. Name two difficulties experienced by those running the Cave School in China.
Birds and bats flew over the classroom. There was no electricity or running water. No
teachers wanted to work there. There was little equipment and no money to buy any.
10. What facts are given about the Lodz ghetto education system?
This was set up in the Lodz ghetto at the beginning of the Second World War. It helped
to educate 15,000 pupils in 47 schools but was forced to close in 1941.
