M N C Academy

M N C Academy is situated in Ber Sarai at number 46. If you’ve ever been to Ber Sarai, you know it’s basically the center of the world for students in this part of Delhi. We are surrounded by bookshops and tiny stalls selling photocopies. Our academy is a simple building where we’ve set up some classrooms. The benches are a bit old and the whiteboards have seen better days, but they do the job. We spend most of our time here with students who are trying to get through their exams. It’s usually very quiet during the day and then gets incredibly loud in the evenings when classes start. We don’t have a fancy lounge or a coffee machine; students just bring their own water bottles and sit where they can. The entrance is often blocked by parked scooters, which is just part of living in Ber Sarai. We’ve got posters of schedules and old exam dates stuck to the walls with tape that’s starting to peel. It’s a very practical, no-frills environment. We focus on the teaching and let the rest of the world go by. The staff here consists of just a few of us who have been doing this for a long time. It’s a humble place, but it’s always full of energy from the kids. There is a lot of chalk dust and the smell of old paper everywhere you turn.