On a construction site near Gaya, a town in Bihar, Mumtaz, 12, and his brother Shahnawaz, 10, struggle under heavy loads of gravel. With a grimace, Shahnawaz hoists a bucket atop his head. He squinches his eyes tight, looking like he’s about to cry, as his skinny legs nearly buckle.
“I get headaches,” he says. “I can’t sleep at night. My body tingles.”
His older brother seems to have glimpsed his new future.
“I fear that even if school reopens, I will have to keep doing this, because of the family’s debt,” Mumtaz says.
“I wanted to join the army,” he adds, using the past tense.
Many child experts say that once children drop out of school and start making money, it’s very difficult to get them back in school. India has ordered elementary and middle schools to remain closed indefinitely, affecting more than 200 million children, though some government teachers are making house calls and teaching in small groups. The central government has allowed high school students to visit teachers on campus, but many states have said no to that as well.
Government officials say Covid-19 leaves them little choice. New infections in India remain high, and officials say children at school would have difficulty maintaining social distancing.