PECULIAR AND UNIQUE SCHOOLS

ZHONGDONG CAVE SCHOOL

Guizhou is one of the poorest provinces in China. Water and

food shortages due to massive desertification and drought

have left the region often struggling to keep its people alive.

Despite these shortcomings, the Miao people of southern

Guizhou made the best of their situation by opening an

elementary school in a cave, aptly named Mid-Cave Primary School.

The school opened in 1984, and at its peak employed eight

teachers who taught 186 students who would otherwise

have no education.

WITCH SCHOOL

Witch School is a Wiccan school offering both online courses as

well as courses on their two campuses in Chicago, Illinois, and

Salem, Massachusetts. As the name suggest, this is a place

where witchcraft is taught.

DELPHIAN SCHOOL

Delphian was founded in the 1970’s by a group of educators

who shared a dream of transforming education. It is an

independent, coeducational day and boarding school

located in Sheridan, Oregon, and is open to students

from around the world. Inside this secretive and very

expensive “Scientology school” students are taught through

clay modelling and staring matches, while some of the most

famous celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman,

have trusted their kids’ education to it.

TRAIN PLATFORM SCHOOLS

India is home to nearly half a billion children, many of whom

live in extreme poverty and unfortunately, many of them

don’t have access to an education. A schoolteacher, Inderjit

Khurana, who took the train on a daily basis to work, knew

these children couldn’t afford school and without education

they would not be able to elevate themselves out of poverty.

So she decided to take the school to these children and thus

was born the “train platform school,” with the formation of

the Ruchika Social Service Organization in 1985. Inderjit

passed away on October 26, 2010, but the organization

she left as her legacy continues to work toward educating

children through these schools.

THE BLUE SCHOOL

This coeducational, secondary school might not have books,

but it still costs about $32,000 a year to attend. However, many

parents have pulled their kids out of this Manhattan elementary

school, which runs from kindergarten to fifth grade, because it

reportedly focuses too much on games and doesn’t teach the

children to read, but in all honesty that’s something one would

have to consider before sending their kids to a school

without books.

FDNY HIGH SCHOOL FOR FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

The FDNY High School works in collaboration with the NYC Fire

Department to offer an exceptional educational institution while

introducing the occupational benefits of the Fire Services and

Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Upon passing the New York

State EMS Certification Exam in the twelfth grade, the students

have the opportunity to roll into a full-time position with the

fire department.

THE BOAT SCHOOLS OF BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world and for

that reason has limited natural resources and is now strongly

impacted by climate change, which makes it difficult for the

people to help their communities. However, its people are

really creative and managed to overcome the challenges that

the country’s ecosystem poses by transforming the region’s

waterways into pathways for education, information, and

technology. So instead of buildings they have converted

boats into schools, libraries, and healthcare and training

centres for the isolated waterside communities.

TRABAJO YA SCHOOL

This is literally a school like no other; one that offers professional

instruction in how to sell your body. For about a €100 ($112)

fee, pupils at Trabajo Ya, which means “Work Now,” in Valencia,

Spain, are offered a “basic course in professional prostitution

with maximum discretion.” However, Spain’s first prostitution

school still faces legal challenges from campaigners seeking

to close it amid growing public concern.