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Babur Ali – he’s 16 years  

old and a head teacher! 

Babur Ali comes from West Bengal in India. He is 16 years  

old and lives in the small village of Bhabta. His village doesn’t  

have a school, but Babur is lucky because he goes to a private  

school in the next village. His school costs 1,000 rupees, £12 a  

year. This is too expensive for many children in Babur’s village,  

but they want to learn, so Babur teaches them everything  

that he learns. More and more children want to learn, so  

Babur’s friends help him teach. The classes are in bamboo  

huts, but sometimes they sit outdoors. The school is free and  

now has a name, the Anand Shiksha Niketan School, and  

Babur is the head teacher. 

Busy days 

Babur’s days are very busy. He has no free time. He gets  

up at 5 o’clock in the morning and helps his mother with  

the housework. At 8 o’clock he goes by bus to his school  

three miles away. He studies hard all day until 4.00 in the  

afternoon. Then he travels back to his village and at 5.00 he  

begins the classes. He teaches English, Bengali, history, and  

maths until 8.00 in the evening. He says, ‘I love teaching. I  

am never tired.’