Children, Yout h and Environm ent s 22( 1) , 2012

Qu a r r y Sch ools:
Bu ildin g Com m u n it y Cla ssr oom s in St on e Qu a r r y
W or k e r Se t t le m e n t s in N a vi M um ba i, I n dia

Bo Ta ng
Facult y of Archit ect ure and Spat ial Design
London Met ropolit an Universit y

Cit at ion: Tang, Bo ( 2012) . “ Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in
St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s in Navi Mum bai, I ndia.” Children, Yout h and
Environm ent s 22( 1) : 280- 293. Ret rieved [ dat e] from
ht t p: / / www .colorado.edu/ j our nals/ cye.

Abst r a ct
This field report describes t he successful collaborat ion of UK archit ect ure st udent s,
t he I ndian non- governm ent al organizat ion ( NGO) ARPHEN, and local fam ilies in t he
const ruct ion of t wo com m unit y classroom s t o provide a bridge int o st at e educat ion
for t he m arginalized children of st one quarry w orkers in Navi Mum bai. The report
exam ines t he role of t he archit ect ural st udent s as designers, m akers and curat ors,
as well as t heir relat ionship wit h t he NGO and local resident s. Lessons learned from
t he proj ect m ight be applied in ot her sit uat ions of rapid change and scarce
resources where archit ect s, NGOs and t he local populat ion m ight collaborat e t o
provide shared infrast ruct ure and com m unit y facilit ies.

Ke yw or ds: com m unit y classroom s, bridge classes, part icipat ory design,
m igrant w orkers, slum set t lem ent

© 2012 Children, Yout h and Environm ent s 

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I nt r oduct ion
The Com m unit y Classroom s Proj ect began in 2008 in Navi Mum bai ( New Bom bay) ,
I ndia, as a part nering bet ween st udent s and research assist ant s from London
Met ropolit an Universit y’s Facult y of Archit ect ure and Spat ial Design ( ASD) , a local
non- governm ent al organizat ion ( NGO) —Associat ion of Rural People for Healt h and
Educat ional Needs ( ARPHEN) , quarry owners and worker set t lem ent fam ilies. I n
2009, t he part ners const ruct ed t wo quarry classroom s in t he quarry set t lem ent s of
Baban Set h and Tat a Press in Navi Mum bai. The approach t o carrying out t his
proj ect was t he creat ion of shared environm ent s t hrough a process of part icipat ory
design and m aking, linking com m on ground and archit ect ure in t he com m unit y.

Ba ck gr ou n d
The st one quarries of Navi Mum bai were est ablished in t he 1970s following t he
expansion of Mum bai, which saw m ount ain villages swallowed up in quarries’
creat ion ( Figure 1) . The land was originally leased t o proj ect - affect ed persons
( PAPs) , 1 who becam e quarry ow ners, t hough som e of t hese holdings have been
sub- let . Som e of t he present workers are descendant s of t he original inhabit ant s;
m any sons and daught ers of t he first fam ilies now w ork in t he quarries.

Figu r e 1 . M a ps of N a vi M u m ba i a n d Tha n e - Be la pu r qu a r r y be lt , M I D C a r e a
( Ode l Je ffr ie s, N ove m be r 2 0 0 9 )

                                                        
1
Proj ect - affect ed persons ( PAPs) are “ local people who lost land during t he building of t he
cit y and have been com pensat ed wit h licenses for opening quarries as a m eans t o an
a lt ernat ive source of incom e” ( Shaw 2004, 234) .
 
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 282
 
There are around 200 quarries in t he Thane- Belapur quarry belt area, of which
about 100 are current ly operat ing. The quarries were init ially owned by t he
Municipal Corporat ion, but are now owned by t he Cit y and I ndust rial Developm ent
Corporat ion of Maharasht ra Lt d. ( CI DCO) , who lease t he land on short eight - t o
t en- year cont ract s t o independent quarry owners, com plicat ing t he issue of land
ownership ( Saavedra and Wat son 2008) .

Workers and com m unit ies residing in t he Maharasht ra I ndust rial Developm ent
Corporat ion ( MI DC) area where t he quarries are locat ed are exposed t o high levels
of pollut ion and heavy indust rial road t raffic. Several of t he w orker set t lem ent s are
sit uat ed at t he base of quarries t hat are at present act ively being m ined, so t here is
const ant danger of falling rocks from dynam it e blast ing on t he quarry face,
m eaning t he risk of accident s are high, and fat alit ies of bot h workers and t heir
fam ilies are far t oo com m on ( Figure 2) .

Figu r e 2 . Ex ist in g qua r r y w or k e r se t t le m e n t ( Ode l Je ffr ie s, Oct obe r 2 0 0 9 )

W or k e r Ch ildr e n a n d N GO Br idge Cla sse s

I n sum m er 2008, t wo undergraduat e archit ect ure st udent s 2 conduct ed a survey of
t he quarry worker set t lem ent s along t he quarry belt , on behalf of t he NGO ARPHEN.
The NGO has been w orking wit h quarry w orkers, Tribals, 3 I ndust rial workers and
slum dwellers since 1986 ( ARPHEN 2009) . Their assessm ent of t he worker

                                                        
2
The t wo undergraduat es st udent s who carried out t he original survey of t he Thane- Belapur
quarry belt are Valerie Saavedra Lux and Paul Wat son, from London Met ropolit an Universit y. 
3
Three t ribal set t lem ent s ( t hree t o four generat ions old) occupy t he hillsides facing Thane-
Belapur in Navi Mum bai. ARPHEN claim s t hat t he t ribal people were overlooked when t he
governm ent t ook away land for developm ent of t he indust rial area, and t herefore were not
com pensat ed as PAPs ( Shaw 2004) . 
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 283
 
populat ion revealed t hat alm ost half had been in quarry w ork for 15 t o 20 years.
Shaw ( 2004, 235) explains t hat :

...lack of j ob m obilit y becom es underst andable when we look at t he level of

lit eracy of t he quarry workers. About 61 percent of t he sam ple or 186
individuals had no schooling at all. Only 12 percent had prim ary educat ion
and 4.5 percent had m iddle school educat ion.

When t he universit y st udent s first arrived in t he area, it w as evident t hat few

children or yout h in t he worker com m unit ies at t ended school. ARPHEN had init iat ed
a program of “ bridge” classes 4 t hat were held in t em porary locat ions t hroughout
t he area, wherever space could be found ( Figure 3) . These ranged from dark,
cram ped room s in hut s belonging t o quarry owners, t o open spaces shaded by large
t rees. Children who did at t end governm ent schools would usually have t o walk for
up t o an hour t o get t here, negot iat ing t he dangerous Thane- Belapur road used by
quarry t rucks t o t ransport st one. During t he universit y st udent s’ st ay in t he area, a
young boy riding his bike wit h his brot her was run over and killed in a hit - and- run
incident involving a quarry t ruck.

Figu r e 3 . Ex ist in g br idge cla ss con dit ion s ( Va le r ie Sa a ve dr a , Ju ly 2 0 0 8 )

Following t he Maharasht ra st at e syllabus, ARPHEN began running bridge classes for

around 250 quarry w orker children who previously did not at t end school. Basic
reading, w rit ing and m at hem at ics were covered in t hese classes t o prepare t he
children for exam s t hat would enable t hem t o enroll in governm ent schools. The
int roduct ion of bridge classes overcam e t he issues of lack of birt h cert ificat es,

                                                        
4
Bridge classes provide out - of- school children wit h t he opport unit y t o t ake inform al classes
for one year as a bridge int o t he form al public school syst em . ARPHEN’s approach cent ers
on t he involvem ent of locally hired t eachers who are t rained in an int ensive t wo- week
program ; sharing a com m on background wit h t heir st udent s enables t he t eachers t o relat e
t o t he sit uat ions of t he children t hey t each.  
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 284
 
perm anent addresses and legal st at us t hat would norm ally prevent t he children
from ent ering int o t he st at e schooling syst em . The t eachers running t hese classes
were wom en from t he quarry com m unit ies who had been t rained by ARPHEN.
Following t he universit y st udent survey of t he st one quarries, w hich involved
m eet ings and conversat ions wit h several groups of quarry worker com m unit ies, it
was evident t hat t here was a desperat e need for larger spaces t hat offered bet t er
condit ions in which children could be educat ed. ARPHEN was keen t o expand t he
bridge classes t o provide m ore opport unit ies for children t o gain access t o
educat ion in t he quarry set t lem ent s. The universit y st udent s ident ified several
pot ent ial sit es w it hin t he quarry set t lem ent s t hat w ould be suit able for locat ing
perm anent classroom buildings.

Loca t in g t h e Cla ssr oom s

The follow ing year, t wo research assist ant s 5 from London Met ropolit an Universit y’s
ASD Proj ect s Office t ravelled t o Navi Mum bai t o const ruct t he first of t en proposed
com m unit y classroom spaces wit h ARPHEN, funded by The Wat er Trust . 6 Several of
t he init ial sit es ident ified by t he universit y st udent s along t he quarry belt w ere
im m ediat ely deem ed unfeasible, as t he quarry landscape had drast ically changed
since t he last visit due t o t he cont inually shift ing nat ure of t he m ining act ivit y. The
set t lem ent at Baban Set h quarry seem ed t o be t he ideal choice for a first
classroom , due t o it s locat ion in t he m iddle of t he quarry belt and proxim it y t o
several ot her surrounding villages.

The Baban Set h quarry set t lem ent is locat ed j ust nort h of t he m id- point of t he
surveyed quarries. There are approxim at ely 70 households in t he set t lem ent . At t he
cent er of t he village, t here is a t em ple space, adj acent t o t he local rubbish area
where t he ident ified sit e was locat ed. This sit e was chosen due t o it s close
proxim it y t o t he surrounding housing and it s relat ively shelt ered posit ion from t he
recurrent blast ing from t he quarry. On t he ot her hand, t his sit e was also a low point
for all t he m onsoon wat er flow ing from t he quarry and oft en flooded up t o t wo feet
deep. Any design would need a drainage reworking in order for t he sit e t o be
viable.

I n order t o gain t he approval of t he local com m unit y for any planned const ruct ion,
t he research assist ant s and ARPHEN conduct ed a series of com m unit y m eet ings
wit h local groups, w hich st im ulat ed ent husiasm for t he proj ect ( Figure 4) . A
Mem orandum of Underst anding was also draft ed prior t o t he t rip t o verify t he use of
t he land by t he quarry owner, and t o begin t he process of preparing t he sit e. The
process of gaining t he quarry owner’s signat ure was slow and frust rat ing, and
event ually only possible due t o pressure put on him by people in t he local
com m un it y.

                                                        
5
The t wo research assist ant s m ent ioned in t his report are t he aut hor ( Bo Tang) and
Sham oon Pat wari from London Met ropolit an Universit y’s Archit ect ure and Spat ial Design
( ASD) Proj ect s Office. 
6
The Wat er Trust has been support ing st udent educat ion and developm ent wit hin t he field
of t he Archit ect ure of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources at LMU’s Facult y of Archit ect ure
and Spat ial Design since 2007. 
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 285
 

Figu r e 4 . Com m u n it y m e e t in g a t Ba ba n Se t h qu a r r y se t t le m e n t ( H e le n a
M cD e r m ot t , M a r ch 2 0 0 9 )

Bu ildin g Th r ou gh Pa r t icipa t ion

A part icipat ory process was key t o ensuring t he sust ainabilit y of t he proj ect . There
was init ial reluct ance by adult com m unit y m em bers t o get involved, but t he level of
com m unit y involvem ent increased st eadily as resident s gained a sense of
ownership and pride in t he proj ect . Children in t he set t lem ent could not w ait t o get
involved, and t urned t he m undane t ask of clearing t he sit e int o a gam e ( Figure 5) .
Once t he sit e was cleared and leveled, t he out line of t he school was m arked on t he
ground w it h chalk, and t he children st ood along t he lines t o get an im pression of
where t he classroom would st and.

Figu r e 5 . En vision in g t h e pr opose d cla ssr oom t h r ou gh childr e n a n d ga m e s

( Sh a m oon Pa t w a r i, M a r ch 2 0 0 9 )
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Form al and inform al consult at ion wit h com m unit y m em bers ( from planned m eet ings
wit h self- help groups t o passing com m ent s) influenced t he developm ent of t he
building design as it progressed. Throughout t he proj ect , resident s shared t heir
experiences of living in t he ext rem e environm ent al condit ions of t he quarry
set t lem ent , while offering t heir opinions on t he design of t he classroom . I ssues
em erged from t he local knowledge t hat t hen inform ed t he design of t he building.
What began as a raised plat form ( t o prevent it being flooded during t he m onsoon
rains) soon gained a m id- level wall, followed by a st eel colum n/ t russ st ruct ure and
corrugat ed plast ic roof ( Figure 6) . Last ly, st eel grilles and a door were fit t ed for
securit y, as suggest ed by wom en in t he com m unit y.

Figu r e 6 . Se ct ion t hr ou gh Ba ba n Se t h Qu a r r y cla ssr oom ( Bo Ta n g, M a r ch

2011)

A local cont ract or was hired t o carry out t he m aj orit y of t he w et t rade w ork, wit h
t he st eel t russ fram e prefabricat ed by a local st eel cont ract or. The proport ions of
t he classroom s were based on m inim um classroom st andards of 10 square m et ers
per child 7 ( t ot al area of 400 square m et ers) . They were designed t o be in keeping
wit h t he local quarry vernacular, using exist ing local skills and m at erials, including
st one from t he quarries. Where labor- int ensive but unskilled work was required,
yout hs and adult s from t he com m unit y cam e forward and offered t o carry wat er,
bricks and st one, and dig t renches for t he foundat ions ( Figure 7) .

                                                        
7
Norm s and st andards from t he Nat ional Council for Teacher Educat ion ( NCTE) , a St at ut ory
Body of t he Governm ent of I ndia. 
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Figu r e 7 . W om e n ca r r yin g br ick s ( Bo Ta n g, M a r ch 2 0 0 9 )

There was an ongoing problem wit h insufficient wat er supply on sit e, which slowed
down progress on t he build. One wat er t ap in t he set t lem ent , provided by t he
quarry ow ner, only supplied wat er for a few hours a day; t his was supplem ent ed by
a weekly wat er t ruck which w ould see queues of w om en scram bling t o fill as m any
bucket s as t hey could carry. One wom an, frust rat ed by t he slow pace of t he build,
rounded up several ot her households around t he sit e, who all agreed t o cont ribut e
a few bucket s of wat er each from t heir personal supplies so const ruct ion could
progress w it hout being slowed down by t he wat er short age issue. This gest ure was
generous, given t he scarcit y of wat er in t he set t lem ent , and showed a desire for t he
building t o be com plet ed.

During t he last st ages of t he build, local w om en gat hered t oget her t o clean t he
building and get it ready for t he opening cerem ony ( Figure 8) . The sam e w om en
have since cont inued t o look aft er t he classroom , cleaning t he floor and int erior
surfaces on a daily basis. Two hundred local resident s from several nearby and
surrounding com m unit ies at t ended t he opening cerem ony ( Figure 9) . Three keys
were handed out : t o t he direct or of ARPHEN, t he head of Baban Set h’s w om en’s
self- help groups, and t he bridge class t eacher for t he com m unit y. This was done in
public at t he inaugurat ion t o ensure fair use and access t o t he building.
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 288
 
Figu r e 8 . Fin ish in g st a ge of im pr ove m e n t s t o t h e cla ssr oom a t Ba ba n Se t h
( Bo Ta n g, M a r ch 2 0 1 0 )

F igu r e 9 . Ope n in g ce r e m on y a t Ta t a Pr e ss ( Ode l Je ffr ie s, N ove m be r 2 0 0 9 )

Following t he opening of t he classroom at t he Baban Set h quarry set t lem ent ,

ARPHEN w as overwhelm ed by request s for classroom s from ot her com m unit ies
furt her nort h and sout h of t he quarry belt . The follow ing Novem ber ( 2009) , six
st udent s, 8 t oget her wit h t h e t wo research assist ant s, t ravelled t o Navi Mum bai for

                                                        
8
The six st udent s involved in t he Tat a Press quarry classroom proj ect were Odel Jeffries,
Toby Pear, Will Not ley, Cian Mckay and Harj eet Singh—Professional Diplom a in Archit ect ure
st udent s from London Met ropolit an Universit y’s Facult y of Archit ect ure and Spat ial Design,
undert aking t heir final year of st udies. 
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 289
 
six weeks t o const ruct a second classroom wit h ARPHEN and t he com m unit y at t he
Tat a Press quarry, a live proj ect t hat would cont ribut e t owards t he st udent s’ final
year of st udies.

The Tat a Press set t lem ent was chosen as t he sit e for t he second classroom due t o
it s rem ot e locat ion at t he sout hern end of t he quarry belt . The set t lem ent is locat e d
at t he t op of a st eep slope, overlooking t he Nerul St adium . For t he Tat a Press
classroom , t he universit y st udent s designed a building sim ilar t o t hat at Baban Set h
but slight ly larger, t aking int o account a sloping sit e, wit h t he addit ion of an open
v erandah area at t he front ( so part of t he building could be locked while
m aint aining a space t hat was perm anent ly open) . St udent s brought ent husiasm t o
t he proj ect while being rewarded wit h hands- on experience.

Following suggest ions from m em bers of t he com m unit y, bam boo blinds were
inst alled on t h e inside of t he building t o keep direct sunlight and rainwat er out ,
w hile providing vent ilat ion t hroughout . A sm all pot - plant ing exercise by st udent s
wit h wom en and children encouraged t he com m unit y t o t ake social ownership of
t he building.

I m pr ove d Spa ce s for Le a r n in g

Since t hey were com plet ed, t he t wo quarry classroom s at t he Baban Set h and Tat a
Press set t lem ent s have been regularly used for various act ivit ies such as
com m unit y and wom en’s self- help group m eet ings, as well as providing a
perm anent space for bridge classes and pre- school nursery groups ( balwadis) t o
t ake place daily ( Figure 10) . I n Novem ber 2010, ARPHEN provided st at ist ics
showing t hat since t he opening of t he com m unit y classroom at Baban Set h, t he
num ber of local children not at t ending eit her a governm ent school or bridge classes
h ad decreased from 25 t o t hree. 9 Ot her act ivit ies such as religious fest ivit ies and
local weddings also t ake place, and ARPHEN is in t he process of set t ing up evening
adult lit eracy classes, t o ext end t he reach of educat ion in t he set t lem ent s.

I n a recent developm ent ( March 2011) , t he local Lions Club 10 of Navi Mum bai has
decided t o sponsor t he t eacher’s salary for t he bridge class at Tat a Press. The club
has also donat ed t eaching aids and educat ional t oys for t he children, and a num ber
of sewing m achines t o enable t he int roduct ion of sewing classes for wom en ( t aught
by a skilled resident of t he com m unit y) ( Figure 11) . The classroom spaces are also
used t o furt her t he w ork of ARPHEN in set t ing up wom en’s savings groups, as well
as providing an accessible space t o hold t em porary healt h screening cam ps,
awareness program s, and for single m igrant workers dealing w it h personal issues t o
see an ARPHEN counselor.

                                                        
9
St at ist ic from ARPHEN’s Annual Report 2009- 10. 
10
The Lions Club net work in Navi Mum bai is part of Lions Club I nt ernat ional, a secular
organizat ion founded in t he Unit ed St at es in 1917 wit h over 44,500 clubs in 191 count ries,
who st rive t o “ m eet t he needs of local com m unit ies and t he world.”  
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 290
 
Figu r e 1 0 . A ba lw a di ( pr e - sch ool gr ou p) t a k in g pla ce a t t h e Ta t a Pr e ss
cla ssr oom ( Ra j a sh r e e N a y a k , Au gust 2 0 1 1 )

Figu r e 1 1 . Se w in g cla ss a t t h e Ta t a Pr e ss cla ssr oom ( Bo Ta n g, Au gu st

2011)

Since t he official inaugurat ion of t he buildings ( Baban Set h in March and Tat a Press
in Novem ber 2009) , t he resident s have t aken it upon t hem selves t o m ake grad ual
im provem ent s t o t he spaces, paid for wit h cont ribut ions from everyone in t he
com m unit y. Research assist ant s and t he com m unit y m ade furt her im provem ent s
such as light ing and fans in t he building in March 2010. Elect ric services in t he
building had not been possible previously due t o t he lack of an elect ricit y
connect ion, but following t he opening of t he building, t he quarry owner agreed t o
provide and cover t he running cost s of providing power t o t he classroom , m uch t o
t he delight of t he com m unit y.
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 291
 

Tow a r ds a Be t t e r En vir on m e n t
I t is im port ant t o locat e am enit y buildings sensit ively, so t hat t hey are open t o
public view and t herefore m ore likely t o be used fairly and looked aft er. I n Baban
Set h, t he proxim it y of t he new classroom wit h t he exist ing t em ple space and t h e
conscious decision t o link t he t wo wit hin t he cent er of t h e set t lem ent has been
in st rum ent al in it s success. Burt e ( 1996, 45) says:

Even t oday t he m ost im port ant form ally creat ed public places in sm all t own
I ndia happen t o be religious places… The absence of a secular t radit ion of
form ally realized public places is a m at t er of great concern t oday, because
m ost public places const ruct e d t oday are secular in nat ure—and for t heir
design t here is no t radit ion.

I n t he Baban Set h quarry, t he w all surrounding t he t em ple space is paint ed by

com m unit y m em bers annually during Diw ali 11 , and t he com m unit y classroom
building is now paint ed as well. The building can be seen as an ext ension of t he
exist ing sacred space ( despit e it being a secular st ruct ure) as opposed t o a
separat e ent it y ( Figure 12) . I ndeed t he classroom building creat es t he not ion of a
public set t ing t o which t he com m unit y can com m it it self, and, in t urn, t o discover
it self as a com m unit y wit h a polit ical voice and opport unit ies beyond subsist ence.

Figu r e 1 2 . Vie w of t h e t e m ple s pa ce a n d n e w cla ssr oom a t Ba ba n Se t h ( Bo

Ta n g, M a r ch 2 0 1 0 )

Support from t he governm ent and local aut horit y is essent ial t o ensure t he
cont inued im provem ent of condit ions in t he set t lem ent s. Since t he const ruct ion of

                                                        
11
Diwali is a m aj or Hindu religious celebrat ion, also known as t he “ Fest ival of Light s,” held
annually during t he period Oct ober t o Novem ber t o honor Lakshm i, t he goddess of wealt h.
I t is m arked by sharing of sweet s, new clot hes and gift s wit h fam ily and friends, m aking it
popular wit h children. 
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 292
 
t he t wo quarry classroom s, t he local ward Corporat or 12 from t he Navi Mum bai
Municipal Corporat ion has t aken not ice and st epped in t o address som e of t he m o st
pressing issues facing quarry resident s. I n t he Baban Set h quarry, t hese include
form alized drains, w hich have been const ruct ed around t he classroom t o deal wit h
t he household wast ewat er and m onsoon wat ers, as well as t he concret ing of m aj or
pat hways t hrough t he set t lem ent . A new w at er t ap has been inst alled in t he Tat a
Press quarry t hat is m anag ed by t en local resident s and t he com m unit y shares t he
cost of t he wat er supply.

I n a recent discussion wit h t he local ward Corporat or, who is responsible f or

init iat ing t hese recent works, he explained t hat he had chosen t hese t wo
set t lem ent s ( Baban Set h and Tat a Press) as st art ing point s for m aking
im provem ent s t o t he wider physical infrast ruct ure of all t he quarry set t lem ent s, as
t he new com m unit y classroom s had given t hem m ore prom inence in t he area and
t h erefore required im proved access for people using t he spaces.

Con clu sion s

The com m unit y classroom buildings not only provide safe and com fort able sp aces
for learning, but a new cent er for t he com m unit y: a place t o m eet and build
relat ionships, and a place for em powering t he com m unit y. The set t lem ent s have
st at us and ident it y wit h a new cult ural cent er where resident s can gat her in a
com fort able environm ent and develop t oget her. Access t o services such as
healt hcare is now m uch easier, as volunt eer healt h cam ps are m ore willing t o
ext end t heir reach t o t he quarry set t lem ent s w it h a space available for t he m t o
carry out t heir screenings. Most im port ant ly, children and yout h have t he
opport unit y t o gain an educat ion and aspire t o a life out side of quarry work and it s
p roblem at ic environm ent .

Building on t he success of t he first t w o classroom s, ot her com m unit ies have been
put t ing pressure on t heir local quarry owners. This has led t o t he quarry owners
offering t o m at ch- fund t he cost s of const ruct ion of a t hird quarry classroom in t he
Royal St one quarry, in t he nort hern sect or of t he quarry belt . They have also
offered t o oversee t he build, donat ing st one and aggregat e. Resident s of t he
surrounding qua rry set t lem ent s also have pledged t o assist wit h t he const ruct ion of
t h e classroom .

The achievem ent of t hese classroom s was heavily dependent on part icipat ory wor k
from all sides ( which provides cont inuit y) and generat ing a feeling of com m unit y
ownership of t he proj ect . The part nering of st udent s wit h an NGO, quarry owners
and resident s, and collaborat ive local support of t he proj ect w as essent ial. Close
com m unicat ion bet w een all cont ribut ors w as m aint ained t hroughout t he proj ect ; at
every st age, m eet ings kept everyone involved. ARPHEN is now looking t ow ards
creat ing m ore quarry classroom s as t he value of em bedded com m unit y cent ers is
accept ed; t he NGO is in a st rong posit ion t hrough it s close and long- est ablished
com m unit y links t o ensure t hat t his approach cont inues t o be successful in t he
                                                        
12
There are 89 wards in Navi Mum bai; a Corporat or is elect ed from each of t he wards a s a
represent at ive who ensures t hat all t he facilit ies provided by t he NMMC are in order. 
Quarry Schools: Building Com m unit y Classroom s in St one Quarry Worker Set t lem ent s... 293
 
fu t ure. The success of t hese proj ect s owes a great deal t o t he sim ple approach of
p art nering used here, and t he idea of t hings happening over a long period of t im e
wit h no art ificia l deadline, wit h each person com m it t ing t o a com m on goal wit h
w hat ever resources t hey have available at t he t im e.

Re fe r e n ce s

A RPH EN . ( 2010) . ARPHEN Annual Report 2009- 10.

Bu r t e , H . ( 1996) . “ Launching off from t he Backyard.” I n Mehro t ra, R. and G. Nest ,

e ds. Public Places Bom bay. Mum bai: Max Mueller Bhavan, 45- 49.

Sa a ve dr a , V. a n d P. W a t son ( 2008) . 10 Com m unit y Classroom s, Navi Mum ba i.

Field Report for ASD Proj ect s, London Met ropolit an Universit y.

S h a w , A. ( 2004) . “ The Unplanned Areas of Navi Mum bai.” I n Shaw, A., ed. The
Making of Navi Mum bai. New Delhi: Orient Longm an Privat e Lim it ed, 227- 250.

 
Bo Ta n g is a Ph.D. st udent and unit t ut or at t he Facult y of Archit ect ure and Spat ial
Design at London Met ropolit an Universit y. She received her Diplom a in Archit ect ure
in 2008, prior t o becom ing a research assist ant in t he Archit ect ure of Rapid Change
and Scarce Resources at ASD Proj ect s. Bo has coordinat ed and m anaged live
p roj ect s in inform al set t lem ent s in Agra and Mum bai, as well as Free t own, Sierra
Leone. Her t hesis is ent it led Negot iat ing Shared Environm ent s in I nform al I ndian
Set t lem ent s: The Role of Am enit y Buildings and Effect of t he Post - Hoc I nt roduct ion
of I nfrast ruct ure in t he Creat ion of Public Spaces. Bo is also co- edit or of a recent ly
published book, Learning from Delhi, by Professor Maurice Mit chell.

 
W e bsit e s
A short docum ent ary vide o prom ot ing t he work of t he NGO ARPHEN by Blake
H odges: ht t p: / / vim eo.com / 11846342

Associat ion of Rural People for Healt h and Educat ional Needs ( ARPHEN) :
h t t p: / / w w w.arphen.org/

Archit ect ure of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources, ASD Proj ect s, London
Met ropolit an Universit y:
h t t p: / / w w w.londonm et .ac.uk/ archit ect ure/ asd- proj ect s/ arcsr- proj ect s- in- india.cfm