Back to school!

For many children, going to school simply means hopping in the car, the school bus, or the public bus. 

But for children living in remote villages in many poor countries, going to school means walking several miles, crossing dangerous rivers, evading wild animals, and risking their lives climbing dangerous cliffs. 

Here are top 10 risky routes children take to attend school.

10. In Philippines children go to school in a Skylab, a motorcycle which can carry up to 13 kids

9. In Indonesia kids cross a dangerous suspension bridge to go to school

8. In India kids swim in the cold waters of the Hiran River. But since there are no change rooms in school they have to sit inside their classroom in their wet clothes.

7. In Colombia children travel 800 metres on a steel cable, 400 metres above the Rio Negro River

6. In China some kids spend two hours climbing 17 cliff ladders. They spend two weeks at the school before coming home  

5. In China kids from the remote villages travel 125 miles to reach their school, a journey that can last two days.

4. In India children have to walk on the frozen water of the Zanskar River, a dangerous journey to take, because of the thin ice.

3. In Kenya children have to watch out for wild animals. They have to cross a lake on a wooden boat. The biggest challenge is to maneuver the boat away from hippos or crocodiles.

2. In South Africa students run the risk of being attacked by gangs.It is estimated than about half of the students have been robbed or assaulted on the way to or from school.

1. In Syria, one in three schools cannot be used because they are either damaged, destroyed, sheltering the internally displaced or are being used for military purposes. 

The following video is taken from a French documentary by Pascal Plisson. It is entitled "Sur le chemin de l'école" (= On the way to school) and shows the incredible journey of four children to school.  Samuel is a disabled child from India. Watch the video: this is Samuel's journey to school.